


Persona: A Matter of Time

by ConstantDaze



Category: Persona 3, Persona Series
Genre: Action/Adventure, F/M, High School, Mystery, Romance, Slice of Life, Teen Romance, Unofficial Sequel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-15
Updated: 2018-01-28
Packaged: 2019-02-15 03:10:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 29,887
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13022007
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ConstantDaze/pseuds/ConstantDaze
Summary: Even with the passing of the promised day, humanity's inevitable end draws nearer. A new year unveils a new battle for survival as Kota Isarota, an amnesiac student transferring to Gekkoukan High School, finds himself in the centre of it. With the help of his allies, Kota searches for answers while adapting to his extraordinary life.How does it all end? Only time will tell.Crossposted on FF.net.





	1. The Contract has been Sealed

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer:  
> The following is a fanfiction of non-canon events that take place in the Persona series. I do not own any locations or characters that exist prior to the publishing of this story. This is a work of fiction and any relations to persons, living or dead, are purely coincidental. Readers are to have fun following this story and any review, follow, or any other form of support or constructive criticism will be greatly appreciated by the author :)

**Persona: A Matter of Time**

**Chapter 1:**

Tick… Tock… Tick… Tock…

The eerie ticking sound filled the boy's ears as he slept. The sounds were spaced out in one-second intervals and grew louder at each passing moment. He slowly started to open his heavy eyelids.

The walls, tiled flooring, the tablecloth laid over a long table directly in front of him. The boy's entire surroundings were coated with differing shades of deep blue. Only the giant, gold pendulum over the table was of a different colour as it swung over the table in time with the ticking noise. The edges of the room consisted of an excessive number of cameras and microphones, all pointing towards the table in the centre of the room. Strangely, the room lacked a ceiling, exposing the seemingly infinite void that hung over the boy. Looking past the pendulum, the boy could see the countless blue clocks that covered the sky above. Each clock varied in size and speed but was otherwise completely identical to each other.

"Pathfinder, welcome to my Velvet Room." The boy mindlessly lowered his head to find that a pair of figures had appeared across the table from him. The seated person - or rather, thing - had abnormally long and pointed ears, absurdly long nose and a dark and a messy brow that hung over his bloodshot eyes. His body was frail and wore a dark suit that one would be expected to wear at formal outings.

The meek-looking person that stood beside him looked to be more human in comparison. She was a girl who looked to be about the same age as the boy. She had bright red hair that almost hung down to her waist and had soft yellow eyes. Her clothing was entirely of the colour blue, from the beret that rested on her head paired with her neat and conservative dress, to her high heel shoes. She looked quite beautiful, though she refused to meet the gaze of the boy, appearing nervous in his presence.

The man with the long nose continued to talk in an almost droning matter.

"This is a place found between dream and reality, mind and matter. It is bound closely to your fate and can only be entered by those bound by a contract. I am Igor. I reside in this place, and am tasked with aiding you on your upcoming journey." Igor's eyes were piercing, as though staring into his soul through his own eyes. The gaze was so intense that he couldn't bring himself to look away.

"To my left, my assistant, Elsa." The man gestured to the girl standing beside him.

"…Hi." The voice was barely audible over the ticking of the clocks as she looked towards a corner of the room as she spoke.

"Now, if you could turn your attention to the parchment in front of you." Doing as the man said, the boy looked down at the multiple pages neatly set out on his end of the table, accompanied by a slick, blue and gold fountain pen. "Before we can assist you in your endeavours, you are to agree to the terms of the contract."

Igor's smile remained abnormally wide as the boy's vision skimmed over the text as the pages turned automatically. Once the contract flipped onto its final page, space for two signatures could be seen, although one of the lines bore nothing but crude scribbles.

"In short, you are required to seek the purpose of your existence and see that you meet our expectations…as a Shepherd of your people." The boy couldn't grasp what the contact was all about, yet he carried an overwhelming urge to sign his name on the untouched second line. Reaching out to the pen to his right, the boy's vision was overridden with a bright white light.

"And with that, my dear guest, perhaps it's time that you introduce yourself."

**Sunday, 7th of April**

Under the cover of the orange glow radiating from sun setting behind the distant hills, the train moves at a steady pace. The packed carriages swayed ever so slightly atop of the tracks as it travelled at a consistent and calculated pace. In one of those many carriages, there was one boy incredibly unique from any other passenger. This boy, with unblinking eyes, fixed on the blurring landscape on the other side of the window, was desperately trying to recall who he was.

Blocking from his mind the constant rumbling noises of the train, he pondered intensely on what had happened earlier that day. He remembered almost nothing, the images he pictured in his head were blurred beyond recognition. The boy slowly scratches the back of his head underneath his cyan hair as if it would help jog his memory.

My name... my name is Isarota... Kota Isarota.

That was all he had. No matter how hard he focused on trying to picture another name, a town, a face, nothing else came to him.

"Iwatodai… Iwatodai… This is the final stop before Tatsumi Port Island… Iwatodai." The Conductor's calm voice sounded through the intercom as several passengers prepared to disembark the carriage. The teen switched his focus to his right hand, which firmly clutched a small piece of paper. He opened up his hand, revealing the text on the heavily creased paper. 'Iwatodai' was all that was written. Heaving a frustrated sigh, he carelessly dropped the paper by his feet, seeing that there was no need to keep hold of it.

The train began to slow down as Kota took the time to stretch his limbs. Following the lead of his fellow passengers, he grabbed the bag by his feet and made his way towards the nearest exit.

Having stepped off the train, Kota attempted to make his way to the station's exit through the sea of people. He had no idea where to go from there, but he wasn't going to find out by standing still. The station was packed with so many people that Kota had to push through them to be able to move anywhere.

As he moved away from the train, Kota's head started to spin. He started to feel himself lose his sense of direction after each passing second. Then a voice sounded in his head. It was soft and barely recognisable at first, but what was one voice became many, and they all grew louder as he kept moving.

With sweat forming on his forehead and his breathing becoming more shallow, Kota fell into a state of panic. He desperately forced his way through the crowd to the displeasure of many of those around him. He no longer cared about where he needed to go, he just wanted to get out of that damn crowd.

Then a flash of light blinded the teen and stopped him in his tracks. A dozen images flashed before him, disappearing as quickly as they had come, rapidly changing through the sound of loud chimes. Kota screamed in pain as he let go of his bag and fell on all fours. The teen breathed heavily and swore under his breath as he tried to collect himself.

As he slowed his breathing down, Kota attempted to recap what he had just seen. A giant pendulum. An old man with a large nose. The fact that he seemed to have forgotten everything before the train ride was disturbing enough without him having panic attacks on top of that.

"Uh, hey... Are you okay?"

Kota looked up to see that several people had gathered around him having just witnessed his fall, all with looks of either concern or annoyance on their faces. What he also saw was a pair of glass sliding doors before him that led to the streets of Iwatodai.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Kota quickly grabbed his bag and briskly moved to the exit, not bothering to look back.

Kota sat down on the steps in front of the station and panted. His heart was still racing to the point where it felt as if it was just shy of bursting, but at least he was able to take in the fresh air after spending all those hours on the train. When his shaking subsided and his breathing came much more naturally, Kota switched his focus to his surroundings.

The sun was now barely visible over the building opposite the station, emitting a warm, twilight glow over the city plaza. Locals of a broad range of ages filled the pavement, with many of them donned in casual clothes. The majority of the city's citizens would likely be heading home in preparation for the start of the working week. While it felt like this was the first time seeing the streets of Iwatodai, Kota couldn't help but find the sight strangely nostalgic.

During his moment of reflection, something caught his eye. A small, but bright blue light in the sky above him appeared from seemingly nowhere. It seemed to slowly approach him as Kota kept his unwavering focus on the light. Soon it was close enough for Kota to see what it really was, a tiny blue butterfly. Kota stood up to get a closer look at the insect as it fluttered around him in circles, immensely transfixed in its beauty.

"Mr Isarota?" A male's voice caused him to snap his head in its direction. The man that was standing there appeared to be in his forties, looking at Kota through his thick-rimmed glasses as he waited for a reply. He presented himself rather formally, wearing a buttoned striped dark suit and yellow tie along with having his short black hair gelled into a comb-over.

"W-What do you want?" Kota couldn't help himself from trying to take another glance of the butterfly, but it was nowhere to be seen when he turned back around.

"Oh thank goodness, it's you! If you weren't wearing your school uniform, I would never have found you with all the people here." Kota looked down at his clothes to see that he was indeed wearing a uniform of some sort. It was mostly made up of dark items of clothing. Black pants, black jacket, black tie, but the jacket was unbuttoned to show that Kota was wearing a white shirt underneath. He then slowly turned around to face the man once more.

"Who are you?" Kota asked. The man started to look a little flustered as if he had just been caught doing something wrong.

"Oh! My apologies, my name is Masata Kobayashi. I'm the principal of Gekkoukan High School. I was told to meet you here once your train arrived."

The school didn't ring any bells, yet he was wearing what he assumed was their school uniform. Not only that, but he was also talking to the school's principal. Did he really move over here to attend this school? Kobayashi scratched the back of his head and continued to talk.

"I-It's my first year as the school's principal so a lot of this is new to me, ha, ha..." Kobayashi's nervous laugh did a bad job of relieving the tension, so Kota figured that it was about time he had said something.

"It's nice to meet you, Mr Kobayashi." The man quietly sighed with relief and gave Kota a cheesy grin. The grin looked to be almost too big to fit on his face and didn't suit him at all.

"Great. Same goes to you, Master Isarota. As you would know, I'm here to escort you to your school dorm." Kota raised an eyebrow upon hearing this.

"Is that so?" He spoke up before thinking about what he had just said.

"Um… You didn't know?"

Kota wanted to kick himself. Whoever put him on that train probably wanted him to attend this school. Kobayashi looked like he was about to get flustered again, but managed to collect himself before continuing.

"Well, you've been booked to stay in one of our dorms for the next year while you carry out your schooling at Gekkoukan."

"I see..." Kota could only assume that he did have a reason for being here. He just had to go with it, at least until he gets more of an idea as to why he was there in the first place.

"Anyway, we should start heading off before it gets dark," Kobayashi stated. "Would you please follow me to the car? I'll get your bag."

Kobayashi blabbered on during the whole five minutes they were in the car for. He was mostly going on about Gekkoukan High and the place where it was located, Tatsumi Port Island. It all bored Kota, so he ended up ignoring his chatty Principal, but the worst thing was that he wasn't able to ask Kobayashi about things he actually cared about.

"Well, here we are. This will be your new home for the next year." Kobayashi said as he stopped the vehicle in front of a four-story building. It looked a little old compared to some of the more modern buildings on the same street, but it's age only made it look all the more elegant. Upon entering the building, Kota instantly noticed that the interior had more or less complimented the charm of its exterior.

The entrance lounge took up the entire first floor except for the small kitchen area towards the back of the building. The lounge itself looked rather pleasant, containing four lounges of various sizes, but all sharing an almost antique design, around a coffee table and an old television set. There was even a counter to the left of that front door that looked like it had been taken straight from a hotel lobby.

"So where are the all my roommates?"

"Oh, I forgot to tell you," Kobayashi gave a nervous chuckle, "you don't have any. You see, this building has only recently been reopened for you since the other dormitories we have are all full." Kota slightly nodded. The thought of having to stay in a dormitory alone annoyed him somewhat. He had been alone for the entire day on the train over to Iwatodai, so he was looking forward to being in the company of someone his own age.

"Do you have any other questions for me while I'm here?" Kota's face lit up. He had already forgotten that he was hoping to get some information about him from Kobayashi. At the very least, he would know about how he came to be enrolled in Gekkoukan.

"What do you know about me?" Kota asked. Kobayashi just raised an eyebrow at the student in confusion. "I mean... I seem to have suffered a bit of a brain fade so..." No matter how Kota put it, it would have sounded strange, so he remained quiet and waited for Kobayashi 's response.

"Wow, you are the first student I have come across that has suffered from amnesia." For whatever reason, Kobayashi was trying to stop himself from laughing. "Then again you are one of the first students I've met so that's not saying much!"

The Principal burst out laughing as if he had just witnessed a guy run into a pole in some slapstick TV show. As soon as Kobayashi saw that Kota was not laughing with him, he quickly pulled himself together and cleared his throat.

"Well, as I have said before, your enrolment into the school was sudden, which was rather odd. I'll look into it, but I can't promise that I can help." Kota couldn't hold back his groan. He had hoped to have finally been told something about his past, but it turned out that Kobayashi couldn't tell him anything. "Cheer up, you might just be tired from the long trip. Give yourself a bit of time to rest and your memories might become much clearer."

"Yeah… I'm sure you're right." Despite having himself appear as though he was relieved upon hearing Kobayashi's suggestion, he knew that it wasn't that simple. Why would he have his intended destination written down for him if that was the case?

"Well, I'm off!" Kobayashi once again puts on his goofy smile, believing that that issue had been settled. "I'll see you at school, Master Isarota." He gave a small bow and walked out the door.

Minutes crept by as Kota just stood still, not thinking about anything in particular. He went back to asking himself the same questions about himself over and over again, and his confrontation with his school principal only brought up more questions. Sure, the fact that he had a school to attend gave him a starting point as to find out who he really was, but knowing that his path had been set disturbed him the most.

"Maybe something in my suitcase will get my memory going…" The blue-haired teen mumbled as he tiredly turned to the suitcase that sat by his feet. But despite trying to be optimistic, he couldn't ignore the feeling that there wasn't any point.

Kota took a step back from the newly emptied suitcase and had a long look at the bedroom which he had claimed for himself.

The room was rather large and spacious as if it was meant to be custom made for a person who was seven-feet tall. On one side, there was a wardrobe where Kota had already hung his clothes in. The other side had a desk and directly opposite the door was a bed.

Through the one window in his room which was positioned above the desk, Kota could tell that it was now dark outside. He couldn't help but yawn, thinking about the night made him even more tired than he already felt.

He glared into a mirror attached to the inside of one of the wardrobe doors to get a good look at himself. He had a thin, but by no means bony face with sharp facial features, the pointed nose and chin stood out to Kota the most. His hair was quite flamboyant since aside from the fact that its colour was the unusual shade of cyan, it sat atop of his head in an unusual fashion. A long fringe moving from left to right hanging as low as his eyebrows were accompanied by short tufts of hair towards the back of his head spiking outwards. Otherwise, his hair was dead straight and ran down the back of his neck. His eyes had a similar cyan colour as his hair but were much duller.

After spending a few moments looking at himself the teen turned the lights off, crept around the pile of miscellaneous junk from the suitcase that he didn't have a place for and lay on his bed. Kota made an effort to get plenty of sleep before school tomorrow, but time went by slowly as the questions continued to toss and turn in his bed, as he subconsciously mulled over the same questions in his head.

With tiredness finally winning out, Kota drifted into a shallow sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Post-chapter Fun Fact:  
> This is a rewrite of a story that I began uploading back in 2014, so here's a shout-out to those who happened to read the original chapters. I've been shaping the story and working on my writing since then. I'm finally at the point where I've committed to enough of the story details to feel comfortable publishing again.  
> Also, fun facts may be added at the end of some chapters. I'll throw in inspirations I had for scenes and characters, updates on the story, and anything else I think people might find interesting. If they aren't to your liking, I'll keep these in the notes at the end so it won't interfere with the story text.  
> I hope to see you in the next chapter!


	2. Welcome to Gekkoukan High

**Chapter 2: Monday, 8th of April**

There was a lot of tossing and turning as his mind refused to rest. Yet, somehow, Kota had managed to get some sleep during the night.

Kota swept his tired eyes across the bedroom. The sunlight was now piercing through the bedroom window, as the singing of birds could be heard along with the traffic several floors beneath him. Emptying his thoughts, the boy placed his hands beneath his head. His eyes glazed over as he looked up at the ceiling. For the first time in his memory, he mind was at ease.

Kota's attention turned to the sound of footsteps echoing from beyond the bedroom door. He got up to investigate the source of the noise as it seemed to stop right outside the door. As he reached for the doorknob, the door swung open quickly and slammed him in the face. As Kota let out a yell of pain as he fell to the ground, a startled scream sounded from the other side of the doorway.

After spending some time returning to his senses, Kota sat upright with a hand on his forehead and looked up to see who had caused him such pain. A beanie-wearing girl was standing there, covering her mouth with one hand. She was relatively small and had a fairly unusual appearance - pale skin, short white hair sticking out from under her black beanie, and bright red eyes. Kota also noticed that she was in a school uniform, bearing the same school emblem on her blazer.

"I-I'm so sorry!" The girl started. "I didn't know you were there. Are you alright?" Kota was very much surprised that there was a girl standing right in front of him since he was told that no-one aside from him was staying in the dormitory.

"I'll live..." Kota got up to his feet gingerly, still feeling the bump develop below his hairline. "Who are you?" The girl's expression quickly changed from being concerning to that of confusion.

"Akina Yonashi. I'm here to escort you to school?" She sounded unsure, almost nervous as she spoke. As Kota thought back to the other day, the name did sound familiar to him and most of what the principal had said during the car ride to the dorm flew over his head. Since Kota couldn't rely on himself memorise anything that had happened before the train ride, it was possible that Kobayashi did say that she was coming.

"Oh..." Kota suddenly felt idiotic for not expecting her as he suppressed the urge to press his palm to his forehead. "I'm sorry… I guess my head was someplace else when Mr Kobayashi mentioned that." To Kota's surprise, Akina giggled at his response.

"The same thing may have happened to me when he mentioned your name." She sounded rather embarrassed when she brought it up. "Mr Kobayashi seems to have a habit of overloading people with his non-stop chatter. I guess it's a requirement if you want the principal position in our school" This time Kota let out a bit of a laugh, mostly out of relief that everything had been cleared up.

"The name's Kota Isarota." Kota gave a rushed bow which was more like a quick nod, though it didn't seem to bother Akina and she responded in similar fashion.

"Nice to meet you, but we're going to be late if we don't start making our way to the train station." Only then was Kota fully aware that he had to leave for school. He dashed around the room throwing together all of his supplies that were sprawled all over the floor.

"Where on Earth is my blazer?" Kota crawled around the floor looking for it when it occurred to him that he put all of his clothes in the wardrobe last night. He was about to open the wardrobe when Akina spoke up.

"Aren't you already wearing your uniform?"

Kota gave her a confused look but eventually realised that she was probably right. He looked down to confirm that he did indeed keep his uniform on when he went to bed. Akina giggled at his inability to remain aware of the clothes on his back.

"I understand that people are usually brain-dead by the time the school year starts again, but you really are something else." While Kota still found the whole ordeal almost humiliating, he couldn't help but feel good knowing that Akina was enjoying herself, even if it was only just a little. "So I hope you're used to running."

"… Why's that?"

"If we don't get moving soon, we're going to miss the train. Let's go!" Akina abruptly turned and sprinted down the hallway before she had finished her sentence. It seemed like they really were running late. After quickly slipping his feet into the nearest pair of shoes, Kota bolted after Akina, hoping he could exit the dorms before he lost sight of her.

Kota and Akina managed to slide through the train doors as they were closing. The two of them panted within the crowded carriage, which included several other students from Gekkoukan. As Kota's heart rate began to decline, he could feel the train taking off beneath his feet. When Akina too had recovered from the long run, she turned to the cyan-haired teen.

"Man you're fast. Are you an athlete by any chance?"

Kota found himself perplexed once more like he was for most of yesterday. How was he meant to respond to that when he remembered nothing before arriving at Iwatodai? He couldn't see anything good coming from telling her. What if she finds him strange or boring because of it?

"Y-yeah, I did a bit of track and such." Lying to someone he just met didn't feel good but Kota felt as if he really didn't have a choice. Akina seemed pleased with the response was all that was all that really mattered to him.

"It's good to hear you actually take care of yourself. A guy at the school which I know is a real slob, so he could learn a few things from you."

Kota avoided keeping eye-contact with his schoolmate in an effort to halt the conversation, instead gazing out the nearest glass pane. For a while, there was nothing out there with the exception of the great ocean, sparkling from the morning sun and stretching out as far as the eye can see.

But as the train continued around the bend in the tracks, an island moved slowly into view. The island was jam-packed with numerous towers. There were four particular buildings at the corners of the square grid of towers that dwarfed those around them. They were so tall that they looked as though they were balancing the sky on the tips of their long spires.

"Wow..." Kota couldn't help but voice his amazement at how huge those towers were. Akina smiled upon hearing his reaction.

"Pretty nice, huh? See that building over there?" She pointed to a lonely white building by the edge of the island, quite some way away from the colossal towers. "That's our school, Gekkoukan. Let's hope that this year will be a good one." Akina had an adorable smile on her face as she spoke. The infectiousness of her smile got the better of Kota, who felt his own smile spread across his face.

A few minutes later the train stopped at Tatsumi Port Island Station. Unlike the dated Iwatodai Station, this station seemed like it was recently constructed, and was completely free of any wear or graffiti.

Kota was happy to know that he and Akina had plenty of time to make their way to the school, and didn't have to do any more running. They exited the train along with the large group of students and businesspeople.

"Why don't you follow me? There should be enough time for me show you some neat places on the island." Akina said. Kota could not have been happier to hear the request. He was so curious about Port Island that he was almost itching to look around.

"Sure! That would be great." He replied. Akina smiled at the cheerful response as she led him astray from the large cluster of people.

Tatsumi Port Island was a place that Kota thought couldn't possibly exist, a metropolis with grand skyscrapers which had only a small fraction of the noise and traffic that other great cities would attract. Kota could even smell the fresh sea breeze as he walked down one of the streets.

Minutes later the pair had left the tall buildings behind, only to be replaced with modest-sized apartment buildings with slick, modern designs.

"So... you didn't happen to come from a country town by any chance did you?" Akina spoke, attempting to start up a conversation. Kota panicked to the point where his feet briefly stopped functioning mid-walk, almost causing him to fall face first on the pavement. "Hey, are you ok?" Unfortunately for Kota, his trip up wasn't subtle in the slightest.

"Y-yeah I'm fine and... yeah. The place I came from was pretty... isolated." Even though his response wasn't a confident one, Akina didn't seem to pick up on it.

"Really? Oh man, I'm so jealous of you. It must be nice to live in a quiet town so close to nature and being able to see the stars in the sky..."

"So have you always lived here, Yonashi?" Kota worked quickly to direct the topic of the conversation away from himself and onto Akina instead.

"Yeah, I've always lived here with my parents. Our family has actually lived in Iwatodai since it was first established, well before Port Island became the 'Business Capital of Japan' and people flocked from all over the country to become a part of it." Akina walked under a small shelter positioned in front of a set of tracks, only they were too close to the road to be train tracks, they also didn't look much like them.

"So what's this?" Kota referred to the shelter where a small crowd of people were already gathered. Akina looked rather amused upon hearing the question.

"This is a tram stop. The trams circle around most of the island, so I could give you a tour along one of them."

Right on time, the chime of a bell sounded down the street, heralding the approach of an electric tram. Having picked up everyone at the stop as well as dropping off a few others, the railed vehicle took off once again.

As the tram travelled along the tracks, Akina pointed out some of the more popular spots for students to hang out at including a large mall, a green, lush park and a shopping strip running along the beach, all of which were either new or had recent redevelopments. Finally, the pair disembarked sometime later in another residential area with wide streets. Kota noticed that several other students from Gekkoukan were turning down a large path further up the road.

"And... there you have it. That's pretty much all this place has to offer, so I hope it's to your liking." Akina said.

"Are you kidding? This place is amazing. Of course, I like it." Kota said. Akina laughed lightly, surprising Kota as he found himself mindlessly fidgeting from nervousness. "Uh... Did I say something odd just now?"

"Sorry, it's just kind of refreshing to see someone excited about this place. You don't seem like you're freaking out over being the new transfer student. How are you handling it?"

"I'm a little worried about what to expect, but the best thing I can do is take it all as it comes." In truth, Kota had a much larger problem to concern himself with, so the thought of starting school as the new kid didn't faze him in the slightest.

"I don't deal with stress well at all, so it's good to see that you're keeping it together." The pale-skinned girl bit her lip and looked at the ground deep in thought. "Listen... If you didn't mind hanging out with me today, you could always come see me... if you want."

"Huh?"

"D-Don't get the wrong idea! If you end up making other friends, you can just forget it." After her outburst, Akina shied away from Kota's confused gaze, her light skin only making the bright red colour that flamed around her cheeks as she clutched her right arm. "Sorry, I'm not used to being a guide or anything like that. That was stupid of me to ask."

"No, it's fine. I was hoping to rely on you to show me around the school anyway." Before things could get any more awkward between them, a series of loud tones from the distance snapped Akina into a sudden realisation.

"Crap that's the bell. Come on, we need to get moving." Akina grabbed Kota's wrist and pulled him towards the school forcing him to run alongside her.

"We're doing this again?" Akina didn't respond, clearly focused on reaching the school building before the second bell sounded.

Thankfully the school was barely one hundred metres ahead of them, meaning that the pair was able to find their names on the class board and head to their classrooms before the second bell rang. Both Kota and Akina were put in the same class, class 2-C. By the time the two arrived, most of the students were already there. They were all busying themselves talking to one another in small groups or seated at their desks organising their belongings, all except one.

A boy with dirty-blonde hair was seated towards the back of the room with his legs resting on his desk. His brown eyes were staring straight up at the ceiling as he was leaning back on the two hind legs of his chair, occupied by the music playing through his earphones. His uniform was accessorised with a large silver watch and four pins clamped on the right breast of his jacket, each bearing a picture of a guitar, bass guitar, drum set and microphone over their red, green, yellow and blue backgrounds respectively.

Akina looked at the boy across the room and sighed out of frustration. She walked up to him and kicked the table from underneath his feet. With a surprised look on his face, the blonde lowered his vision to realise that he was slowly falling backwards. The facial expression that followed had 'Oh crap...' written all over it as he hit the ground with a thud. Several of students nearby jumped as the noise rang through the classroom, but they eventually got back to what they were previously doing as though it was hardly a rare occurrence.

"That's for not replying to any of my texts! Some of us like having a social life, you know." The boy hadn't moved at all after he fell. He remained lying on his chair and staring at the ceiling, stunned.

"Oh, hello Akina, it's nice to see you again... and yes, I did enjoy my holidays... thanks for asking..." The boy sounded as if he was in pain, but somehow he kept still as though he was a statue.

"Maybe if you weren't such a slacker you would actually get nicer greetings from me." The boy finally lifted his head off the floor and pushed himself into a sitting position before rubbing the back of his short spiky hair.

"Look who's talking. I wasn't the one who decided to come to class after the first bell."

"That's because I was asked to show one of the new guys around." Akina then grabbed Kota by the arm and pulled him towards her. "This is Kota Isarota. Isarota, this clown's name is Jaden Gatogi."

"Jay-den?" While the boy didn't necessarily look Japanese the foreign name caught Kota by surprise due to how well he spoke earlier.

"Yeah… I'm half-English, hence the hair." Jaden referred to his natural blonde strands as he ran his left hand through it. "Anyway, it's nice to meet you." Jaden held out his other hand before Kota shook it. "I hope Akina wasn't beating you up every passing minute."

"She did slam a door in my face this morning before I met her, but she was fine after that."

"No kidding? She must like you then." Jaden started to laugh heartedly, oblivious to the eyes that were still looking over at the trio. Looking a little red in the face, the girl grabbed Jaden by the ear.

"Why do you always have to make me out to be some brute? That's no way to talk about a lady!"

"If you want me to treat you like a girl, you should start by acting like one." Jaden looked to be in some discomfort as he simply pointed to Akina's hand pulling at him. Defeated, Akina released her friend and stared solely at the ground.

"Y-you know that the door-thing was an accident right?" She directed her words at Kota. "I don't want you to get the wrong idea about me," Akina spoke awkwardly, not able to look anywhere but the tiles around her feet as she spoke to him.

"That's more like it. You look so cute when you get all embarrassed."

The chimes from the classroom's intercom rang loudly as Akina stomped her shoe over Jaden's foot. With the homeroom teacher arriving shortly after, students moved in all directions to claim ownership of a desk, except for Jaden who had to rearrange his furniture as he was limping from the latest assault. Kota had taken one of the two desks in the centre of the classroom with Akina taking the other one just in front of Jaden.

The teacher had short light brown hair, dark grey eyes and looked to be in her late twenties. She walked up to the podium at the front of the classroom with her white shirt and brown jacket and placed a thick folder in front of her. The students quietened down as they saw that the teacher prepared her speech.

"Welcome, students of class 2-C, to another year at Gekkoukan High. I am Ms Toriumi, I teach Composition, and will be your homeroom teacher for the next 12 months. I would like to acknowledge that we have a few students who are attending Gekkoukan for the first time this year, so when I say your name I would like for you to stand up and introduce yourself to the class…"

The final bell of the day sounded as the Gekkoukan students spilt out of the school hall where the new principal, Masata Kobayashi, gave his opening speech for the year. Just as Kota expected, Kobayashi delivered the speech abysmally. He had given his script to one of the staff members and called out "line" every time he forgot what to say next, which was quite often. On top of that, his jokes were poorly received and he would awkwardly smile and scratch the back of his head when he couldn't get a reaction from the crowd. But to his credit, the welcoming ceremony wasn't as boring as Kota imagined it would have otherwise been.

"Hey, Isarota!" Kota turned towards the feminine voice to see Akina and Jaden emerge from the hall doors. "Are you free this afternoon? We're heading to Paulownia Mall to get something to eat." For a moment, Kota thought about declining so he could talk to the principal about his enrolment, but he didn't want to miss the opportunity to get to know the two. He was about to accept when he remembered that he left his wallet at home during the rush to the station that morning.

"That sounds great, but I left my money back at the dorm in the rush to get here. It would be weird if I just tagged along without eating anything."

"It's not a problem, Jaden here will cover you." Jaden, who was initially preoccupied with his phone, looked at Akina in alarm.

"Wait, what? Shouldn't I the one who makes the decisions with my money?"

"Oh come on Jaden, you're loaded. A few hundred yen wouldn't hurt." The corners of Akina's mouth started to curve up upwards. "Now that I think about it, Jaden, would you please pay for my food while you're at it?" She spoke as sweetly as she possibly could while having one of her toes pivot on the spot.

"Whoa whoa whoa, hold on." Jaden waved his hands in front of him in an animated fashion. "You can pay for your own food, can't you?"

"Well considering that you owe me for prioritising your video games in front of me, I would think that buying me lunch would be a great way to make up for it."

"You're still upset about that?" Kota noticed something about Akina change. While maintaining her innocent outward appearance, her eyes suddenly became cold and were directly gazing at Jaden, daring him to continue to argue. In what was probably a wise move by Jaden, he gave up. "Alright, I'll pay for your food too. Just expect the food to be cheap ok?"

"I'm fine with that as long as you don't make me eat at Wild-Duck Burger."

"Why not?" Jaden seemed incredibly disappointed but didn't wait for a response. "Fine…" he sighed. It turned out Akina wasn't someone that should be messed with, Kota made sure that he made a mental note of that.

"So what did Yonashi mean by you being loaded?" Kota asked Jaden as they left they headed towards the tram stop with Akina.

"Well, my father's head of the Japanese National Bank branch in Port Island. The branch opened here about a year ago, so I'm still kind of new to this place."

"Yeah, to think you're the son of someone like that and I still hang out with you," Akina spoke.

"Huh?" Kota gave her a confused look, not understanding why she felt like that.

"Oh right, you wouldn't know." Akina rubbed the back of her head as if she felt she was foolish in bringing it up. "My parents help organise the Iwatodai Future Preservation Group, it's an organisation that looks at protecting the wildlife near the Iwatodai region amongst other things. They've been at odds with the JNB because they've been investing in developments that require the destruction of the surrounding animal habitats."

"Well, I don't see what the big fuss is about. I mean the trees aren't doing much for us by just standing there." By saying that, Jaden clearly hit a sore spot on Akina who had started to tense up before yelling at the blonde.

"I'll have you know that while money-hungry folks like yours don't see much use in trees, the wildlife there relies on them for both food and shelter! Yet they choose to eradicate their habitat for the sake of building another baseball stadium or a shopping mall that we don't even need!" Akina blew up and lucky for Jaden, he had Kota walking along in between them so things wouldn't get too hostile. Looking to desperately defuse the situation, Kota interjected.

"So that makes you guys star-crossed lovers or something like that, huh?" Akina pulled an emotional one-eighty and chuckled once the sentence sunk in.

"No no no, you've got the wrong idea! We're not like that, not even close."

"Ouch... you don't have to look so pleased about it." With that, the three of them arrived at the tram stop just as the tram came into view.

As the sun begun to set, Kota arrived at his dormitory after having a bite and strolling around the mall with Jaden and Akina. While the pair wasn't what he was expecting when he thought about the sort of friends he would make, they were certainly fun to hang out with, even if Kota had to put up with their bickering from time to time.

He turned his attention to the dormitory. It was as quiet and empty as it was when he first arrived yesterday. Kota couldn't help but feel a little sad now that he didn't have any company. Knowing that it can't be helped, he headed straight to his room. Kota turned on the lights and was about to stride in when he noticed something laying on the floor inches from his foot. He picked up the small device and closely observed it.

Simply put, it was a wristwatch, only there was something a touch unsettling about it as he looked into the clock's face. The strap and case of the watch were made of a worn, silver metal with only small patches of it being reflective. The case bore one solitary crown on its side. The crown would be typical of watches that could be used to adjust the time. However, this watch didn't appear to display the time.

The glass appeared to contain nothing but darkness with not a number or hand in sight. It felt as though Kota was looking into an empty void. Not only did Kota not remember seeing such a device while he was unpacking his things the other day, but it was also a model that he wasn't familiar with.

Figuring that he was just too tired to remember seeing it, Kota placed it on top of his neatly organised desk. He changed into his sleepwear and got into bed as darkness swept over Iwatodai. Holding onto the thoughts of living out a peaceful life at his school free of worry put a rare smile on Kota's face, as he drifted into what started out as a pleasant sleep.


	3. The Plunge to Oblivion

**Chapter 3: Tuesday, 9th April**

Falling into a much deeper sleep than the previous night, Kota felt his consciousness drift out of his body as his surroundings started to glow a deep blue. Opening his eyes to the sound of methodical ticking, Kota found that he was no longer in his bedroom. He was seated in an eerie looking room while surrounded by cameras. Across the table from Kota, two strange but familiar looking figures were there waiting for him. The seated man stared at Kota intensely while the younger girl fidgeted with her fingers while looking down at her feet.

"Ah. It seems that our guest has returned." Igor, the man with the long nose, had an intrigued glint in his eye.

"I've been here before, haven't I?" Kota was still caught in a daze, but he remembered this place. Just not 'when' he came here or how he got here.

"Do not be alarmed. You are fast asleep in the real world." Kota blinked in an effort to wake himself fully, but the fog that lingered inside his head didn't clear.

"Who are you two?" Kota looked to Elsa, the girl that stood to the right of Igor, but she averted her eyes from his gaze and turned her head.

"Elsa, my dear. Please don't turn away from our guest. We must see that he feels welcome." Igor's voice was stern, though supportive of the youthful assistant.

"I-I'm sorry, Master." Else's golden eyes met Kota's dull blue for a fleeting moment before her face reddened. She averted her eyes from the cyan-haired teen and looked down at the tiled floor once again.

"You must excuse my assistant. She is inexperienced in handling these matters and is understandably nervous." Kota narrowed his eyes, making it known that he was waiting for an answer. "It matters to you not who we are, but you should take comfort in the fact that we are here to assist you on your upcoming journey as an aspiring Shepard."

"Shepard?" Kota repeated blankly. A part of him wanted to dismiss the whole thing as a strange dream. It would save him from piling more questions on top of the ones he already had about himself.

"Tell me, what do think of when you hear the word 'fate'?"

"I really don't know." Kota acted disinterested in a hope that he would be left alone. He didn't know if he could deal with any more absurdity in his life.

"Some believe fate is a predetermined series of events that all are doomed to live through. Some see fate as something that can be grasped and controlled, while others feel that fate doesn't truly exist. The answer is up to you to find out. In order to take the first step towards that answer, we will see what your immediate future has in store for you."

With a snap of Igor's glove-covered fingers, a glistening silver object was conjured on the table beneath Kota's nose. Stunned by the sudden appearance, Kota's eyes interactively darted down to the flat, circular object. It looked like a coin small enough to fit comfortably in the centre of his palm, though the light reflecting off the surface made it difficult to see what was on it.

Picking up the object, Kota found one side of the coin bearing what looked to be a rather plain-looking mask. The mask had a vacant expression and was divided into two halves with one side bearing a reflective surface and the other being non-reflective. Turning the coin to face the opposite way up, Kota was met with a totally bland surface with nothing of the face.

"Go on." Igor's words reached his ears, urging Kota to do something with the unusual piece of metal. He questioned what he was expected to do when a thought occurred to him. He rested the coin on the index finger of his closed hand, readying his thumb to strike it from beneath.

The crisp sound rang through the air as Kota propelled the coin into the air. His focus never wavered from the spinning coin as it rose and fell, emitting soft vibrations all the while. Before it could reach the table, Kota caught it with his right hand before slamming it onto the back of his opposite hand.

With a slap, blue shards burst out from between his hands, lingering for a fleeting moment before being absorbed by the plain tarot card that Igor had in front of him, causing it to glow briefly. When the light vanished, the once vacant card now had a picture of a flame being controlled by two hands with a set of eyes watching over it.

"The magician in the upright position," said Igor. "While this card symbolises immaturity and inexperience, it also symbolises hidden power." Igor smiled broadly upon saying the last couple of words. "Of course, a reading such as this is hardly surprising when it's referring to someone with as much potential as you."

"Why me?" Fed up with the cryptic talk from Igor, Kota spoke tiredly. Things have been happening so quickly for him that he felt as though he was going to go crazy. With a sigh, he absentmindedly muttered to himself. "What am I supposed to do?"

"That's a question that common among all who've lived, yet only you could possibly find the answer." Multiple chimes sounded through the void beyond the room, each sound loud enough to "It seems as though we have kept here for long enough. We will be sure to clarify everything for you the next time you visit. Until next time… Pathfinder." Kota felt his entire body go heavy as he started to slip out of conscious. Kota's vision of the velvet room and the two figures faded, only to be replaced by his bedroom ceiling.

Even though his eyes were already open, the sound of knocking on wood woke him from his dream. He shakily pushed himself into a sitting position and placed his hand on his soaked forehead.

"Are you awake in there? We'll need to get moving soon!" Akina's voice carried through the closed door. Fortunately, the classmate didn't open the door and see him in the sweaty mess he was in.

"I-I'm up," said Kota hazily. His mind took a little time to kick into gear as his surroundings seemed to morph from the room in his dream to his bedroom. "I'll be out in a second."

"I'll be waiting downstairs. Try not to take too long. I don't want to run after the train like we did yesterday." As Akina walked off, Kota scrambled to get his clothing and equipment together. Before he left, he looked back at the suspicious watch, resting on the desk by its lonesome. Strangely drawn to the piece of tech, he quickly grabbed it, shoved it in his bag and raced downstairs hoping the first train hadn't already left.

**Friday, 12th April**

Most of the week passed without anything particularly interesting happening. Akina had always dropped by Kota's dorm on the way to school, even if it always resulted in the two of them having to race the train to the station every morning. While Kota spoke to Akina often when he had the opportunity, the beanie-wearing girl was often busying herself with the school's Environmental Club. She was the supportive person for Kota during his transition period, but he came second to the organisation that her parents operated. Even after knowing Akina for a few days, Kota could tell how important it was to her by how hard she worked for its clause.

Jaden seemed to have more time on his hands, though he never seemed eager to socialise. He would either be absorbed with his smartphone during the breaks or retreating to his place once the final bell had sounded. The only time Kota has seen Jaden not occupied with his music or his phone is when Akina is around to demand his attention.

With the start of the lunch break, Akina went through the motions of gathering her notes from the previous lesson and jamming them in her school bag. She looked like a woman on a mission, though she had a tired look on her face.

"Busy with your club?" Kota was disappointed that she was quick to leave the classroom, but wasn't going to stop her.

"You know it," Akina sighed. "I'm having to chase up the other members and collect some paperwork from them."

"Don't work yourself too hard." Akina took a break from packing and gave Kota a reassuring smile.

"This is nothing for me. Still, thanks for your concern." After gathering the last of her stationery, she stood up from her desk. "Excuse me. I've got to get a move on." Kota just gave a nod and the girl took her leave.

Pulling out his wallet from his pant pocket, Kota considered making a move for the school's newly-implemented cafeteria when he noticed Jaden, still seated behind the amnesiac student, leaning on his desk with his face buried in his arms. Kota could hear the drum and guitars playing through the headphones secured in the blonde's ears.

Kota knocked on Jaden's desk with his knuckles, the noise being enough to stir Jaden from his powernap as the half-British student looked up his disturber.

"Who are you listening to?"

"You wouldn't know them." Jaden took out one of his earphones and held it out for the transfer student. Kota immediately recognised the song's genre being western rock music. While he wasn't a music enthusiast, he understood that the song sounded as though it was at least a couple of decades old. What's more, the lyrics were English, making it impossible for Kota to understand the lead vocalist.

"You understand all this?" Impressed, Kota removed the headphone and returned it his classmate.

"Pretty much." Jaden accepted the headphone back from his classmate and placed it on the desk with the other one. "Do you want something?"

"Huh?" Jaden was eyeing the wallet Kota had in his hand. Not wanting to create a misunderstanding, the cyan-haired student hid the wallet under his deck. "Just a chat."

"Relax. It's fine if you don't have the money for lunch."

"Really, I have enough on me." Akina may not have had any issues with begging for free meals, but Kota didn't know him much better than most of the other schoolmates.

"If you say so." Jaden almost seemed uncomfortable as he slipped the earphones in his pocket and stood up from his desk. "I kind of want to chill by myself today but if you're up for it, we can hang out some other day."

"Sure thing." Kota was left unsure of what Jaden thought of him as the blonde headed for the door. He seemed friendly enough whenever Akina happened to be around, but otherwise, he would be reclusive and shy away from the transfer student. Jaden wasn't the easiest person to approach but Kota was still hopeful that his classmate will warm up to him soon.

"Isarota." Daichi Imatsu, an athletic boy whose dark, shoulder-length hair served as his most distinctive trait amongst the guys in his class, called out to Kota as he stopped by his desk. "The guys are eating in the usual spot if you want to tag along." Jaden took notice of the two talking to one another, glancing at the boy over shoulder briefly before disappearing as he turned down the hallway.

"I'll be happy to." Like Kota, Daichi transferred to Gekkoukan at the start of the year. He'd banded together with other new students and has been nice enough to ask Kota to come along on occasion. While thankful for the invites, Kota felt like he was on the outer of the group as he never contributed to stories of the lives before moving to Port Island, for obvious reasons. Still, Kota would always join them as he felt that he didn't have the luxury of turning them down.

Joining Daichi on the way to the cafeteria, Kota couldn't help but wish that Akina and Jaden were showing him around the island again, entertaining him with their amusing bickering.

**Saturday, 13th April**

Kota only just sat down for the start of the final school day of the week when he was set upon by a familiar classmate.

"Do you want to hang out after school today?"

"Huh?" Kota was caught off-guard from Jaden's sudden invitation.

"Well today's meant to be a half-day, so I was wondering if you had time to came over to my place."

"Well... Yeah, I'm up for that." In truth, Kota felt almost desperate finding excuses to not return his dorm after school. The large, quiet rooms always gave him chills.

"Nice." Jaden beamed a smile at his classmate.

"I'm here too, you know." Akina piped up from the seat next to Kota, sounding a little annoyed that the guys were chatting as though she wasn't there.

"Sorry…" Jaden apologised awkwardly for not noticing her earlier. "How have you been?"

"I've been fine, thank you." Akina seemed pleased with the blonde's polite greeting. "So am I invited?"

"Will you be alright with spending the night watching action-thriller movies and playing video games?"

"I guess not," Akina replied, sounding somewhat disappointed. Kota wasn't big on video games, but he wouldn't let that stop him. Jaden nodded at Kota.

"I'll see you at the end of classes then." Jaden put on his earphones and hummed happily to the music as he returned to his seat.

"Well, I see that you have yourself a play date," Akina teased as Kota turned to her.

"You could say that. To be honest, I'm looking forward to spending some time out of the dorms for once." Akina looked away from Kota and stared at the whiteboard in front of her, looking rather conflicted about something. "Hey, what's the matter? You look as though you have something on your mind." Akina turned to look over her shoulder for a moment before leaning towards Kota and gesturing him to do the same.

"I'm just worried that Jaden's going to make a fool of himself in front of you," Akina spoke in a hushed voice. Kota brief glanced at the desk behind him to see that Jaden was too absorbed in his music to hear what was being said.

"Why would you need to worry about that?" Kota was sure to lower his voice too, just in case Jaden was more aware of his surroundings than they thought.

"You don't know him quite like I do. He may not seem like it, but he is actually a total snob." Kota just raised an eyebrow in response. Sure Kota hadn't known Jaden for long, but he just seemed like a laid-back guy who doesn't care for all that much, not someone who would go on about how much money he has. "I mean don't get me wrong he's a nice guy, but when he's at his apartment, he can't stop talking about how expensive the place is while showing off his state of the art electronics."

"Is it really that bad?" Akina gave a slight nod.

"He can be really immature when it comes to talking to people, so just be tolerant with him, okay? I'm sure he doesn't mean to be nasty or anything."

"You really worry about him, huh?" Kota spoke up with a smile. Truth be told, Kota was curious about how the two of them became friends in the first place, seeing that the two were so different.

"I'm… just doing what friends do," Akina shrugged. "Someone has to look out for him." She brushed it off so quickly that she made it sound like it was a chore that she had to do. It made Kota a little uneasy as Ms Toriumi picked that moment to enter the classroom, just moments before the second bell.

"Ready to go?" Kota had barely started packing school bag when Jaden suddenly appeared beside him with his orange backpack casually hanging over one of his shoulders.

"Not yet. Just give me a moment." Kota packed his bag with a little more urgency as Akina looked on from over his shoulder.

"Be sure not to bore the new kid too much." Jaden briefly let out a light chuckle.

"He'll be fine. What guy doesn't like speaker systems, sports cars and computers?" Akina lowered her eyes. Kota knew that she was still concerned about how things would turn out, but he couldn't share that feeling. Surely she made it sound worse than it will be.

"Alright, let's get going," Kota spoke as he arose from his chair, bag in hand. Jaden nodded as he led the way out of the classroom, leaving Akina behind. After a few steps towards the building's front exit, Jaden spoke up in a strange, monotone matter.

"Akina seems to worry about you." As much as he wanted to, Kota hardly thought about forging friendships. He had a feeling that was a lot to do with the fact that he didn't have any similar relationships to look back on and it affected how he interacted with everyone.

"I guess it's because I'm new to this place. For all I know, she's just doing it to be welcoming," Kota picked his words in such a way that downplayed his friendship with her. Since that morning, the transfer student had a sinking feeling about the state of Jaden and Akina's own friendship. The last thing he wanted to do was create a wedge between them.

"Yeah... she could be…" They didn't talk to one another in an uneasy silence until they exited the school building. At that point, Jaden looked to be back to his normal self after pushing that thought to the side. "Whereabouts are you staying? You moved into a dorm right?" Welcoming the change of topic, Kota let out a quiet sigh of relief.

"It's in Iwatodai, about a ten-minute run from the station."

"Run? Not walk?"

"Akina and I always manage to put ourselves in positions where we have to run to catch the train in the mornings."

"Ah, gotcha." Jaden paused, smiling before speaking again. "The buildings over there are pretty old huh? A lot of the buildings over there didn't get renovated along with the island. My penthouse is here on the island, so you don't have to worry about walking for too long before we get there. There're a lot of luxurious apartment buildings since they were all recently built, but it just so happened that dad's work bought one of the more expensive penthouses for him, not that we really needed them to buy it for us with the amount of money he's making..."

Jaden continued to talk and Kota felt himself rapidly lose interest in what was being said. He subconsciously lowered the volume of Jaden's words as Kota decided to move his eyes around between the faces of different students filing out the school grounds.

"So... the school decided to give students half days on Saturdays... what do you think caused that?" Kota turned his head slightly away from Jaden and towards a soft-spoken voice that wasn't directed at him. Another pair of students was walking slightly behind him where Kota was able to see them over his shoulder.

The voice belonged to a rather slender girl with fair-coloured, wavy hair running just past her shoulders with a fringe that barely reached the bridge of her nose. She carried a plain brown backpack and Kota was able to see from his perspective her amethyst-like eyes glancing at her companion from behind her glasses.

The person she was talking to was a guy about Kota's own height, casually carrying his school bag by wedging it between his left forearm and body while his hand was buried in his pocket. His messy black hair unevenly covered his forehead above his blue eyes. Kota immediately noticed that the boy wore a padded glove, like the ones worn by goalkeepers in a football game, on his right hand. His uniform also lacked a tie while his shirt had its topmost button undone, revealing the black shirt he wore underneath.

"Well, it was bound to happen with all the talks of stress and anxiety causing that sickness a few years back." The boy spoke in an almost dry tone. "I'm just surprised that it took this long." Upon mentioning the word sickness, the girl darted her eyes towards the ground, looking as if she had accidentally brought up some taboo topic.

"Oh no..." The girl quickly gave eye contact to her companion again. "I-I'm sorry! I really didn't mean to bring that up!" The boy shied away from her gaze and sighed.

"It's fine... really." The girl still looked troubled, but she let the feeling slide before speaking up.

"So are you planning on doing something now? Maybe we could go see a movie to pass the time."

"I can't... I've got to look after the house."

"Oh... maybe another time then?"

"... Maybe" At that moment the two groups of students walked through the large gates a parted from one another as Jaden's voice seemed to have returned, despite the fact that he had never stopped chatting.

The walk from the school gates to Jaden's apartment building took five minutes at most. The building itself was isolated from other tall buildings on the island, dwarfing the restaurants and other storefronts that lined the same street.

Jaden led Kota through the elegant lobby where the receptionist eyed Kota suspiciously but got back to reading his magazine when he saw Jaden with him. The two students then entered the nearest elevator with Jaden pressing the number 25, taking them to the top of the building.

A short trip down a small hallway later and Kota found himself in a very grand, very large white room with reflective marble flooring and windows lining a great proportion of the room showing a spectacular view of the beach and nearby shopping strip. From where Kota stood, he could see a small kitchen in the corner of the room complete with a bar and stools and large screen TV placed in front of two white leather couches and a white fur carpet.

"So what do you think? About the place, I mean." It was the first time Jaden allowed Kota to speak since they had left the Gekkoukan school grounds.

"It definitely beats the dormitory, that's for sure." Jaden was happy with the response, showing a pleasant grin.

"Neat! Let me show you some of the stuff I have." Jaden said with excitement as he led Kota through one of the adjacent doors. Unlike the entrance hall, this room was nowhere near as open or well kept. Judging by the fact that a bed was wedged in the far corner of the room, Kota believed that it was Jaden's bedroom. Every corner was filled with computers, gaming consoles, manga and even empty snack wrappers.

"I hope you don't mind the mess. This is kind of like my personal retreat away from my parents whenever they're home. Here, let me show you my PC gaming rig." Again Jaden began to rant, but this time it was about the different machines that he owned, when and how he came across it and how much it cost him. Needless to say that Jaden was a real enthusiast when it came to hardware, but Kota could feel that Jaden had some sort of ulterior motive to showing off all of his prized possessions other than to just make friends. That aside, Kota wondering mind came across the watch he put in his bag earlier that week.

"Can I interrupt you for a moment?" Jaden looked surprised and maybe a little annoyed that he was spoken over the top of.

"… Sure. What is it?" Kota put his bag on a nearby table beside a bunch of loose cables and fished out the odd device.

"Do you have any idea what this is? I don't remember how I came across it." Kota handed the object to Jaden who carefully took hold of it. He peered at the metal object at various angles and even went on to shake it.

"What is this thing? Is it even on?" Jaden pushed on the crown of the watch, letting out a sharp click that crudely filled Kota's ears. Following that, a ripple that emitted from the centre of the face, lighting up the outer rim of the glass face with an intense red ring. "What the hell!?"

The moment Kota leaned in to look at the watch, a white piercing light shot out of the device and onto the eyes of the two Gekkoukan students. The blinded students let out a yell of surprise before their consciousness quickly left them.

Kota felt himself lying on a hard metallic surface as he opened his eyes. The place he was in was very much unfamiliar. It was dark, cold and deathly silent. Kota rolled over onto his front, preparing to push himself up before he saw Jaden lying next to him. Crawling over to the boy, Kota gently shook the boy's shoulder.

"Gatogi... Gatogi, get up." Jaden moaned and stirred slightly before he woke up. He slowly got to his feet along with Kota, the latter carefully observing his surroundings. They were in a hallway with the floor, walls and ceiling entirely made up of worn metal plates. There were occasional gaps in the walls and ceilings which gave way to electrical wires dangling precariously from their elevated position.

"Where the hell are we?" Jaden's eyes glazed over the hallway in his immediate proximity before locking on to Kota with an annoyed glare. "Where did you take us!?"

"I don't know! I've never seen this place." Kota took a moment to steady his breathing, not letting the panic get to him. "We should get out of here… This place doesn't feel safe." Rather than complying with Kota's words, Jaden remained silent, his eyes now fixed on the dark abyss that was the where the long hallway led. He took a step forward.

"Wait! Where are you going?" Again Jaden didn't respond, continuing to walk until he was almost out of Kota's view "Gatogi, we need to get out of here."

"You don't have to come with me if you don't want to!" Jaden snapped as he continued to move towards the darkness. It barely took a moment for Kota to decide to follow, something was wrong with Jaden and he couldn't be left alone. Furthermore, Kota didn't have a clue on how he was going to leave despite desperately wanting to.

The two students walked through the gloomy maze barely speaking to one another. Only the sound of their footsteps echoed off the walls of the dark hallway. Despite appearing to be the only ones there, Kota felt that he was being watched by something every step of the way. The feeling of uneasiness continued to dwell within him.

"Hey, Gatogi. You don't think we should head back now?" Again, Jaden wasn't interested in Kota's words. He had tried numerous times to get Jaden to turn back, but lately, it was like he wasn't even acknowledging Kota.

Finally, Kota was able to make out something which was at the end of a particularly long hallway, a set of thick sliding doors. It was obvious to Kota that Jaden hadn't been acting like himself since arriving in this unwelcoming place.

Upon approaching the set of sliding doors, the pair found that one of them was busted, slightly ajar without any source of light on the other side. Jaden wordlessly slid through the tight gap through the doors. Letting out a tired sigh, Kota felt as though he had no choice to follow him.

The moment that Kota made it to the other side, the doors slammed shut, leaving the two teens in total darkness and causing alarm bells to sound in the amnesiac boy's mind. The sound of electricity flowing through the room echoed amongst the non-visible walls before several lights powered on, eradicating the darkness.

Compared to the rest of the metal maze, the room didn't look run down at all. Several rows of computer monitors filled most of the room, flashing between meaningless chunks of text. A single aisle lay ahead of Kota, running from the doorway to a raised circular area where Jaden stood. The walls were also covered with monitors of various sizes with the exception of a large window directly opposite the door, showing an empty black void on the other side. The room appeared to be like the bridge of a spaceship straight out of a science-fiction film.

Strangely enough, the floor space surrounding Jaden was entirely covered with a range of kid toys. Train models, toy cars, plastic guns and action figures were among the sea of metal and plastic. The vibes that the room gave Kota was chilling, more so than those that the corridors emitted previously.

"Gatogi, what is this place?" Jaden kept his back to Kota, staring out into the nothingness beyond the thick glass. Jaden spoke after several moments of the suffocating silence, but his one word barely reached Kota's ears.

"Oblivion..." Jaden slowly turned to face his classmate. He suddenly looked incredibly tired with his slouched posture and dark rings running around both of his eyes. What really scared Kota were the boy's brown eyes, glazed over like he wasn't able to see.

"You can't hear it? It's... calling to me."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Saturday, 13th April**

Chills immediately shot down Kota's spine, as he instinctively recoiled from the sight of Jaden and the bland, emotionless tone that he spoke in. Mustering all the composure that he had left, Kota met his classmate's empty gaze.

"W-what are you talking about?" Kota asked. Jaden's shoulders dropped but otherwise didn't immediately react to Kota's question.

"Figures... I've always thought you were slow..." Kota felt the eyes watching him again. It was as if he was being stalked.

"You don't look well, Gatogi. Why don't we try to-"

"Drop the nice guy act, Isarota."

"Huh?"

"You don't have to pretend anymore. It's not like we're at school, where your friends are watching." Jaden's previously-empty eyes showed a glint of anger as he glared at Kota "Admit it, you think you're SO much better than me…"

"Where is this coming from all of a sudden?" Kota briskly waded through the sea of action figures to reach Jaden. "We can talk about this once get back to your place."

"Back off, man!" As soon as Kota grasped Jaden's arm, the blonde pulled it away from him and staggered backwards. A dark aura radiated from the boy's body as he yelled. "It's too late for apologies!"

"Gatogi! Just calm down for a moment."

"No matter who, everyone would look at me like some sort of walking bank! They would all assume that I was some sort of money-blinded snob and not give me a second glance. Akina is different, but I bet she's is using me for information she could pass on to those tree-hugging hippies!"

"That can't be true!" Kota could sense that whatever was watching him was getting more agitated by the second. "This place is dangerous. We have to get out of here!"

"Why should I go back? I can't stand everyone having fun and talking between themselves! They won't ever know what I'm really like because they're too scared about what other people will think if they're seen with me! Of course, the last thing anyone would want is to be label as an ass-kisser who only cares about other people's money." Kota just remained still once Jaden's rant was over, fearful that anything he did would make matters worse. "I hate the lot of them... but you are, by far, the worst of them all..."

"Jaden..."

"I bet you're enjoying your time as the new kid. You have plenty of people like Akina bending over backwards and making sure you feel at home. It makes me sick."

"I... never asked for any of it." Guilt started to set in as Kota found himself at a loss for words. It felt like there was no way he could calm him down.

"It's not fair! Why the hell did I not get any of that when I came here?" Jaden screamed as the dark aura around him grew more intense. "Fine, I can see that I'm not wanted… I guess I'll just have to disappear then!"

Black streams of tar burst from out of several of the monitors of the walls and merged together. The toys that were sprawled all over the floor sped off in all directions and covered the majority of the surrounding walls. In moments, the centre of the room was almost entirely taken up by a ball of black ooze.

Within seconds, the ball burst with a force that knocked Kota off his feet. From where the ball once was, there was a 12-foot tall crimson red mecha with a pair of strong metallic legs, and a mounted gun in place of its right hand. The main body was a thick block of metal, undoubtedly storing wiring, weaponry and possibly a pilot. The face of the mecha was made up of two orange neon headlights and several vents that blew out copious amounts of hot air. In the very centre was a small silver icon making out the shape of a small flame.

"This world has forsaken me..." Jaden spoke with an unrecognisable voice, one filled with anger and frustration. "It's cursed me with loneliness, and that is why I want no further part of it!" The blonde pointed at Kota, gazing at him with cold, empty eyes. "If you won't leave me be, then I won't hesitate to destroy you."

Pushing himself onto his feet, Kota looked at Jaden. As scared as he was of the giant machine standing between them, he couldn't bring himself to move. The boy that stood there was Jaden, and Kota wasn't going to turn his back on him, no matter how little he could do about it.

"You're not thinking straight... Jaden, this place is making you think negatively about everything! This isn't you!" The blue-haired teen observed Jaden's face for any signs of emotion. "Please... this isn't what you want!"

A moment passed without the slightest bit of movement, with Kota's plea lingering in the room as the words echo from wall to wall.

"You're not leaving?" Jaden's cold words made Kota's heart sink. "Then you can die for all I care!"

With a tight clench of his fist, the large machine was brought to life. The roar that sounded from its frontal vents was much like that of a fighter jet on start-up, blasting Kota's eardrum to the point of them nearly caving in as it spat out a wave of hot air. Kota put his hands in front of him and shut his eyes to keep his eyes from drying up. When he felt the air settle slightly, the cyan-haired boy opened his eyes just in time to see the machine make its first move.

As the mecha turned on its rear-mounted jets, the machine moved towards Kota surprisingly quickly for its size. Only sheer instinct and adrenaline made the teen dive out of danger as the large projectile ploughed through several computers in its way before crashing into the toy-covered wall.

"You must have a death wish, choosing to stay here." The machine's left hand sunk into its arm, only to be replaced with a ball attached to a chain, lowering and increasing in length before suddenly expanding in size. When the mecha's headlights fixed on Kota's position, the ball lit up in a burning red inferno. The great amount of heat that the thing was giving off around started to make Kota sweat.

"I'll be seeing you on the other side..." The mecha slowly approached the downed teen, seeing the hopelessness in his eyes. The flaming ball was raised, preparing to be brought back down to inflict the fatal blow.

Just as the ball started to swing downwards… everything vanished. In a blink of an eye, Kota found himself in a white void with no other visible being or object.

"Shepherd of humanity…" A deep, authoritative voice boomed from the heavens. "You are destined to lead your world to fight your fate. Look within yourself, and find the power to combat the beings that wish to destroy your kind. You must persist through the hardships and find your purpose, for the whole world depends on it."

A blue butterfly, the one Kota saw when he arrived at Iwatodai, appeared out of thin air and fluttered up to the teen. Kota watched as the insect transformed to a small coin before his eyes. As it twirled in the air, the cyan-haired boy noticed that one side of the coin had an image of a mask, just like the one in his dream, while the other side bared the image of a jester and a dog at the edge of a cliff.

"It is time…" The voice boomed as the sound of a great bell tolling filled his ears. With a light ring, the coin shot up in the sky, spinning rapidly and giving off a dim glow.

The boy's heart rate rose dramatically as he brought out a shaky hand. He took a couple of deep breaths in order to ease the shaking as the coin started to descend upon him. Eyes fixed on the coin, Kota slowly whispered out the word to summon the fearsome power he had within him.

"Per...so...na..."

Kota snatched the coin mid-fall and slapped it on the back of his opposing hand, releasing a powerful burst of wind that sent the deranged machine flying into the far wall. Kota was enveloped in a great blue flame before he found himself on his feet, wearing a dark hooded suit that was unbuttoned to show his white shirt underneath.

The gusts of wind continued to surround him, keeping his now bright blue eyes on the enemy. The coin had combusted into a great number of tiny fragments and spiralled around Kota before expanding and gather behind him into the shape of a being.

"I am thou, Thou art I. From the sea of thy soul I cometh. I am Dante, Venturer of Hell." The cloaked figure let out an ear-piercing war cry as it brought out a great sword from under his cloak.

Dante's torso was covered with dark blue armour, similar to a kendo uniform. His armour and damaged hooded cape were accompanied with brown pants and boots with a dark shade of brown. The cloak's hood was down, showing that Dante's brown hair and face resembled that of an ordinary person, with some exceptions. First, there were two sturdy horns protruding from the being's hair, shaped in a similar coil to that of a ram. Secondly, his right eye looked to be missing. Instead, there was a deep blue orb in place of the eye socket with visible scarring on the surrounding skin.

The mecha picked itself off the ground and looked at Kota as Dante returned to the soul of its master.

"No… you can't be stronger than me! I will show you that I am the better man if it's the last thing I do!" The machine's thruster powered up once more and launched himself at Kota. This time Kota's mind was sharp, feeling stronger than ever before. He sidestepped the flaming ball as it was hurled at him before calling for Dante to strike.

" **Cleave!** "

Grasping the glowing coin before him, Dante appeared behind the mecha and swung his sword heavily at the thrusters. The mecha jittered in pain as the blade struck it.

"Dammit! I'm not playing games here!" Jaden yelled before the mecha raised its right arm, pointing the mounted gun at the chest of Kota. The teen raced behind a nearby waist-high wall as bullets whizzed pass, just barely missing their target. The mecha continued to fire several more rounds at Kota's immediate area, causing shards of glass and chipped metal to rain upon his arms which were protecting his face. Irritated that it couldn't get to its target, Jaden snarled as the machine stopped firing.

"You're going to run now? How pathetic!" Kota heard a large boom from the other side of the wall as an explosive rocket hit and destroyed his cover. Kota was sent flying into one of the wall-mounted monitors before gravity forced him onto the ground below. He felt the burns on the back of his neck and broken shards from the monitor sink into his back, but Kota was surprised to find that the explosion didn't cause any more damage to him. Getting to his feet with some difficulty, Kota saw another rocket fly his way.

" **Garu!** "

Dante materialised before Kota and threw his tattered cloak across his body, sending out a gust of wind into the projectile. The rocket changed course due to the sudden gust and sailed past the mecha, missing it by inches.

"Again!"

Dante sent his next blast at the mecha, but the machine held its ground when it got hit. Kota made a swift sigh in frustration, knowing that the attack had little effect on his enemy. Jaden watched on with a dark smirk on his face.

"My turn..." The rocket launcher arm modified itself before Kota's eyes and now had a powerful rifle fixed in the launcher's place. A laser beneath the barrel of the gun pointed directly at Dante before the rifle fired. The bullet pierced Dante's chest, causing the being to shatter like glass on impact without a leaving trace. Kota grunted and brought his hand to his head as he felt a sharp pain within his skull. Noticing the laser moving its way towards him, Kota ran to a thick sheet of metal which had broken off from the room during the battle and held it between him and the mech. Another bullet was fired and hit the sheet, causing a massive indent which stopped just short of Kota's heart.

As Kota heard the rifle load another bullet into its chamber, he used the opening to throw the sheet to the side and hold his hand out.

"Come on..." As the spinning coin appeared ahead of him, Kota realised that neither of his attacks proved to be effective. It just meant that he had to think outside of the box.

"Dante! Strike those electric cables."

The coin was brought down to the back of Kota's hand with a slap. Dante soared towards the over-hanging cords positioned above the mecha and sliced it like a hot knife through butter. The severed ends of the cord dropped, making contact with the enemy and shooting a massive amount of electricity through it.

The attack proved to be effective as the electrical shock threw off the mecha's aim. The rifle fired mid-shock, but the bullet flew well above Kota's head. The current continued to flow to the mecha, appearing to stun it indefinitely.

"Push the advantage. Get it while it's down!" Dante's charged at the downed machine with a readied sword, but before the hit could connect the mecha flashed, a force field emitted by the machine. It absorbed the electrical currents flowing from the cables while effectively deflecting Dante's attack. Kota looked on with apprehension as the murderous machine lifted itself off the floor.

"You really think you could defeat me? Boy, that's rich!" Jaden laughed manically as the back plate bearing the jets detached itself from its back and separated into halves before relocating on top of each of its shoulders.

"Let's end this!" With both arms outstretched towards Kota, dozens of small rockets fired from the mecha's jets and homed in towards its intended target.

Dante held its position in front of Kota in an attempt to protect him from the onslaught but shattered after taking twenty or so hits. Kota yelled in agonising pain as the flames discharged from the projectiles and engulfed him. The cyan-haired teen felt his energy leave him rapidly, replaced with a realisation that it didn't matter that he tried his hardest to keep himself and Jaden alive. In the end, he wasn't strong enough. Just as Kota shut his eyes and was about to pass out, a voice rung out from within his soul.

_You're not about to give up, are you?_

Kota's eyes shot open as a great shockwave rang out from within the fiery surroundings where another being now stood in Dante's place. The Purple-robe figure held its arm in front of him where a large staff spun in place, only just out of reach. Its hood hung over its head, the shadows obscuring its face from view. The shockwaves created from this other being continued to repel the raining rockets from Kota, causing them to spin out in multiple directions and explode shortly thereafter. It was Jaden's turn to be fearful for what was to come.

"H-how?! Why won't you just die?!"

Wordlessly, Kota raised his head and looked up at the mecha through the robed, transparent figure. He raised his hand up to chest level as his ally brought its second arm out, ready to launch its attack.

" **Liberate…** " Kota no longer felt as though he was in control of himself as he spoke and clenched his hand in the air. The staff was simultaneously grabbed with both hands in a vertical position by the hooded figure and slammed onto the ground, forming a blinding white ball of energy above the enemy. The attack shook the room as the ball shot downwards and swallowed up the machine.

"Goddammit… This isn't fair!" Jaden wailed as Kota, through squinted eyes, saw black ooze retreat from its host and back through the monitors. When the light vanished, the toys detached from the walls and dropped one-by-one onto the floor. In the centre of the room was Jaden, on his knees and panting from exhaustion after the machine's defeat.

The mysterious mage shone briefly before changing back to Dante and disappearing, leaving Kota and Jaden on the ship's bridge. While Jaden looked to be too tired get off of the ground, Kota also felt as though his legs were about to buckle due to the amount of energy he spent summoning that powerful mage. For some reason, Kota didn't even have a name to call that being by like it did when Dante heeded his call.

"I..." Jaden's voice was shaky. However, it didn't seem to thinly veil a dark presence, like it did before the mecha appeared. "I don't understand...what the hell everyone expects from me." The blonde tried to get himself standing back on his feet only to fall backwards, landing his back against the large window separating him from the void.

"I'm a good-for-nothing blabbermouth who happens to have deep pockets... That's what I know from the people that had the nerve to say it to my face." Jaden's head rose slightly. His eyes had started to regain some life, but Kota could see that he was still in a bad state. "Is it even worth trying to connect with people if that's what they think of you?"

"Of course," Kota said. Jaden raised an eyebrow quizzically at Kota. "I may not have known you for long, but I'm certain that you have some good qualities that people can appreciate. There are plenty of other people that are yet to talk to you, so I'm sure that they'll be able to find it."

"Like you?!" When Kota maintained his serious though calming gaze, Jaden scoffed. "Why would you be willing to see me again after what I just put you through?" Kota made his way over his downed classmate and offered him a hand.

"Because I don't know a lot about myself either." Jaden looked up at Kota, taken aback from the response. "The best way to discover your own strengths is through the support of those closest to you." Kota let an understanding smile form across his face. "Why not give it a shot?"

Jaden looked dazed for a few moments before Kota's words had sunk in.

"Are you sure you're a high school student? If you go around saying stuff like that, I'll think that you're a 60-year-old or something." Jaden gave a bright smile before taking his classmate's hand.

Upon being pulled to his feet, a faint blue glow started to surround Jaden. A coin spun in place between the two boys, bearing images of a mask on one side, and a faced sun on the other. It shattered with a light ring, its remains drifting apart before combining to make another figure.

It was a seven-foot-tall man bearing thick sheets of gold metal strapped to his chest, arms and legs for armour over its red silk clothing. The being wore a smiling golden mask wielded a weapon in each hand resembling maces but with balls of fire attached to the ends of the rods.

With the chains of self-hatred shattered, you now possess the power to provide hope to those in dire need.

"Mercury…" the being faded to nothing as a faint glow shone briefly in Jaden's chest. Only when Kota felt that wave of relief did the sheer amount of stress and exhaustion caught up with him. Without uttering a sound Kota fell to the ground, out cold before he could hear Jaden call out to him.

The calming sound of multiple ticking clocks echoed off the walls around him as Kota woke up in a familiar place. It was just like his dream, the great pendulum swinging above him, the multiple clocks floating over the void outside the walls of the room, and the odd, long-nosed man with his beautiful assistant to greet him.

"Welcome back, my guest," Igor spoke in the same slow manner as Kota remembered. "Do not worry. You are no longer in danger now that you have overcome your first obstacle."

"You two…" More details of the dream returned to Kota as Igor grin stretched a little wider.

"I see that you recall our last meeting. Good."

"The power I welded back at that spaceship… Did you have something to do with it?"

"The potential to use such frightening power was always within you. It is not my job to help you realise that power. Rather, it is to ensure that you use it to the best of your abilities in order to follow the path that fate had set for you." Kota sat quietly and listened intently. If anyone was to help him process what was going on, he felt that Igor would be the one to turn to.

"The entity you summoned is a Persona. Personas are a manifestation of one's personality. Think of it as a mask for an individual to use in order to face many of life's hardships." Despite wanting to understand what Igor was saying, Kota couldn't help but find himself hopelessly lost.

"Last time, you told me that I had something called the wild card ability. What does that mean?"

"Ah yes, the wild card... The power that the wild card possesses is best described as the number zero. Empty, yet with infinite potential. Those with the wild card ability are able to summon multiple Personas in battle. That is where my assistant will come in handy." Igor turned to Elsa. Her eyes were darting uncomfortably between the cameras around the room, paying no heed to Igor's words. After noticing the room go quiet, Elsa looked back at Igor and jumped in fright when she saw his steady gaze on her.

"Oh… s-sorry!" Elsa placed the thick book she was holding on top of the lone table. The moment Elsa let go of the book, the cover of the book opened, allowing its pages to continuously turn by itself.

"T-This is the Persona Compendium. It stores all the Personas that you will come across in your journey as you build your bonds with others. Through improving your relationships with others and strengthening your bonds... um..." Elsa looked towards her master as if silently asking to bail her out.

"... Your power will grow, leading you closer towards your final goal." Igor finished Elsa's sentence for her.

"O-o course... I'm sorry, sir." Elsa looked at her feet, unsuccessfully hiding her face growing red out of embarrassment.

"That is quite alright, my dear." Igor comforted her while not looking the slightest bit annoyed. He turned his attention back to his guest. "There is no need to fret if this is difficult for you to take in. You should find that in time you will understand what there is to know. Now before I let you go..." Igor waved his arm horizontally across the table, conjuring an elegant looking key exerting a blue glow. The face on the bow was the same as the ones on the coin.

"Use this to return if you are in need of our services," Igor said. Kota leaned forward and grabbed the key before looking at the glowing object more closely. "I look forward to seeing what the future has in store for you. I'm sure that it will be a joy to watch."

Kota twitched as he started to return to his senses. A quick glance of the room confirmed that he was still in the place where he passed out. Realising that Jaden was nowhere in sight, Kota got off the ground to look for him. Further up the aisle where Kota stood, thumping noises alongside frustrated, yet tired grunts could be heard. Jaden was throwing his entire body weight behind the thick metal door the two boys had previously entered through. His continued efforts to bust the door down proved to only tire him rather as the door hadn't budged an inch.

"Hey, Gatogi" Hearing Kota's call, Jaden turned to him with an urgent expression, which quickly became one of relief as he saw that Kota had woken up. Momentarily forgetting about the door, Jaden made his way to Kota.

"How are you feeling? Are you alright?" Kota gave a small smile seeing Jaden's concern for him.

"I'm a little tired, but otherwise I feel fine." While saying he was a little tired was an understatement, Kota did his best to hide it from Jaden. "What about you? You're looked quite worn out yourself." Getting a good look at him since he returned to his senses, Kota noticed that Jaden was looking rather pale with the skin around his eyes looking to have darkened.

"I could be better, that's for sure." Jaden seemed glad, but Kota could tell that he wanted to ask him something as he looked down to his feet. "So… What was that thing you were fighting with and… when did you get that outfit?" Kota looked down at himself to see the dark clothing he had on. He was only a tie away from looking like a professional, like a businessman or a secret agent.

"I… can't say I know where the clothes came from, but the power I was using… It's called a Persona." While Kota was reluctant to say stuff like that out loud, he figured that Jaden should know having just seen it himself.

"Persona? How did you get it?" Kota took the time run that question by him a few more times. That blue butterfly seemed to turn itself into a coin before his eyes as if it was gifting him his Persona. Could the voice that spoke to him in the void belong to the butterfly? Either way, Kota didn't have a clear answer.

"I… I have no idea." Silence followed as the high school students both tried to hide their looks of confusion and worry from each other.

"Hey, you don't think you could take out that door with your… Persona… could you?"

"Huh?" It then occurred to Kota that he couldn't exactly recall how he summoned his Persona. Everything he did during the fight was done in the heat of the moment. "Um… I'll try." Kota steadied his breathing as he held his hand out. Closing his eyes, he sub-consciously called for Dante. Opening his eyes some time later revealed that nothing happened. Now with a slight feeling of dread, Kota forced his eyes shut and called for his Persona again.

_Dante. I need you now!_

A slight feeling of warmth arose in Kota's chest as he saw the light shine upon his eyelids. He opened his eyes to see that the coin was now hovering just above the palm of his hand, twirling in place.

"Whoa…" Jaden voiced his astonishment as he stared at the levitating coin.

Just as Kota was about to grasp the coin a harsh drilling noise filled the room from the other side of the door. The noise caused the boys to cover their ears as they saw the door become more deformed as the noise grew louder. When it looked as though the door was barely able to remain standing the drilling stopped. One swift kick from the other side of the door sent it flying before landing with a thud some distance away from where it once was.

The figure that stepped through the doorway wore a thick brown trench coat that covered it from its neck to its toes. A black, wide-brimmed hat sat on top of its head and was tilted in such a way that most of its face was covered by the shadow. The tall figure looked ominous as it gazed at the high school students before it.

"Who are you guys?" The dull, but noticeably feminine voice carried through the room without any sense of urgency or confusion, but alarm bells still rang in Kota's head.

A coin shot into the air in front of Kota, who instinctively snatched it as it was falling to summon Dante, taking his stance as if he was ready to lash out at the stranger.

"Don't move, or I'll have to take action!" Kota sounded as authoritative as he could as Dante tightened his grip on his sword. The effects from the last battle still weighed heavily on the pair. For a while the girl didn't react, just stood in place as if she was a statue.

Eventually, she raised her forearms up in the air as a sign of peace. The sleeves of the coat slid down her arm slightly, revealing that her wrists below her gloves were made entirely out of thin metal rods. Kota and Jaden were taken aback by the sight. This was no ordinary person.

"How did you two get here?" She asked. Kota and Jaden looked at one another, each trying to make out what the other was thinking before responding.

"What's it to you?" Jaden spoke up, staying half a step behind Kota.

"Don't be difficult with me. I'm not your enemy." The girl continued to talk in an almost monotone voice as if she lacked the energy to show any emotion. Kota kept his eyes on the woman for a few more moments, debating whether or not he could be trusted. Eventually, Kota rested his arm by his side, recalling Dante from his side. Initially, Jaden looked at his fellow classmate with uncertainty but decided to trust his judgement. The girl gave Kota a slight nod.

"Thank you. Allow me to return the favour." Slowly, she lifted his arms up and gently grabbed her hat. Lowering the hat and placing it under her thick coat, her face was on full display.

Lifeless blue eyes remained fixed on the boys as her dark wiry hair hung just above her shoulders. Her light skin only ran as far as halfway down her neck, revealing a small section of steel and wires peeking over the collar of her trench coat.

"Now, you both need to get out of here. It's not safe here." Still puzzled as to what stood in front of them, the teens stared at the oddly constructed face without making a sound. The girl didn't show any annoyance or discomfort from being stared at, probably not caring about it.

"How are we going to do that? Do you know the way out of here?" Kota fired questions at the woman hoping that she was their ticket off this ship.

"Wait, Isarota." Jaden, who was not quite as trusting as his cyan-haired counterpart, cut in before the girl could respond. "How do we know you're not out to kill us too?"

"Just know that if I were to try and kill you both, I wouldn't be engaging in conversation like this." She turned towards the doorway and looked at the two over her shoulder. "Shall we get moving?"

Are you sure this is the way out?" Kota asked as the group stood in front of a thin white arch holding together a black and white pattern, swirling around a fixed point in the centre as if it was a black hole. They were back to the place they originally woke up at, but that arch wasn't there before.

"Absolutely. Once a person has been granted their Persona, they are able to navigate through the Subex as well as fend off Shadows."

"Subex?" Kota asked.

"Shadows?" Jaden followed.

"Shadows are the repressed emotions from people on the surface. They're often hostile and will attack on sight. The Subex is what this world is called. You'll understand more about what it is once we leave this place."

"So do you have a Persona too?" The girl shook her head in response to Jaden's question.

"It's different in my case. There isn't a thing that goes on here without my knowledge. My existence is tightly bound with this place as I do not have a body to return to on the other side. You both do, however, so we have to go back there as soon as we can." She walked up to the arch and gestured for the boys to go through.

The daunting appearance made the doorway look unwelcoming. Ignoring Jaden's hesitance, Kota stepped forward and into the surreal black-and-white void.

Before he knew it, Kota found himself on the other side of the door and into what looked like an alternate reality. He was standing in what similar to Jaden's room, but the wooden floor was bare without the mess and many of his possessions were gone. Furthermore, many of the surrounding walls looked to have collapsed, showing off an almost entirely vacant version of Jaden's apartment.

Walking cautiously in case the building was unstable, Kota moved as close to the edge of the building where an entire wall had disappeared and looked out across the island as far as he could. The island where the building stood upon had a striking resemblance to Tatsumi Port Island, but fountains were busted, roads had large cracks running in all directions, and the buildings had giant chunks removed from their original counterparts. In the place of those missing chunks, huge operating pistons, giant rotating gears, or strange looking wind turbines shot out from the buildings spanning across the horizon.

Kota continued to stare at his surroundings in awe as Jaden and the girl stepped through the arch after him. Jaden stood beside Kota and also look in the view with shock.

"So this place is what you call the Subex…" Jaden asked the girl, not able to bring himself to look away.

"That's right. It's the world that you know of at a subconscious level. Every person has their own subconscious thoughts, and this place is where those thoughts reside." Kota looked at the setting sun to his right, a much larger, dimmer version of the one he was used to. He then looked at the sky directly above him. Thin clouds slowly spun around a fixed point in the sky, looking like the pattern of the door that they went through not long ago. Kota never thought that such a place could possibly exist.

"Do you guys want to get out of here or not?" The girl's voice moved their focus to her, then to the two silhouettes beside her. They were both positioned behind a desk, one sitting in a chair and the other leaning over the first, both staring at something in the seated figure's hand.

"That's… us?" It was bizarre to think that he could observe himself from an outside perspective, but there was no other explanation as to what the silhouettes were.

"Hold on… This is too much to take in on such short notice… I'm getting dizzy." Jaden held his hands on his head and stared at the ground as if he was blocking out any more information from piling up in his head.

"Just take up the position of your bodies and you'll be able to return."

"Really? Thank you, miss…"

"Just call me Glitch, but hopefully we won't be seeing each other again."

Kota put a hand on Jaden's shoulder and smiled at him, signalling that things would be alright. Still with a dazed look on his face, Jaden moved towards the chair while making sure not to move it from beneath the silhouette. Kota looked at Glitch one last time before he left.

"Thanks for your help." Glitch just gave a slight nod in reply. Kota stood behind the seated Jaden and moved to try fit into the silhouette as best as he could. As both he and Jaden got in the right position, their surroundings changed in a blink of an eye.

They were back in Jaden's room, looking exactly as Kota first remembered it before he ended up in the metal hallways. Surprised by the sudden transition to reality, Jaden dropped the watch quickly and took a backward leap, knocking his chair over in his haste. Slowly, the Gekkoukan students had a collective feeling of relief wash over them. They turned to one another with Jaden speaking up first.

"That wasn't a dream I just had, was it?"

"No… I saw it too." Jaden looked over Kota's shoulder during the silence that followed.

"You look about ready to collapse. How about you crash here for the night?" As tired as Kota felt, he knew he needed to watch over the dorm seeing that he was the only one there.

"Thanks for the offer, but I'll be alright. I should head back to the dorm." Kota grabbed the watch off the floor, taking care so he wouldn't activate it again.

"What do you plan on doing with that?" Jaden asked worriedly from outside the device's range. Kota remained observant as he looked into the dark face of the watch, though it remained inactive. The cyan-haired boy shoved it in his pocket.

"I don't know," Kota answered, honestly, "but I can't exactly leave it laying around for anyone else to stumble across."

"Fair enough… So, uh…" Jaden rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "I want to thank you, Kota. You really saved my ass back there." Noticing Jaden calling him by his first name, Kota grinned.

"It's not a problem. What kind of friend would I be if I stood by and did nothing?"

"I guess you're right…" Jaden also looked rather happy with how things turned out. Seeing Jaden smile after what he just went through put Kota's worries at ease. As long as he was alright, there was nothing for Kota to be regretful of. "I'll see you around."

"Of course." Kota walked through the front door under the watchful eye of the setting sun.

When the door closed behind him, Kota placed his hand over the bump in his pant packet where the device quietly sat. Had he not been told that this was the beginning of a journey, he would have felt that that would be the last he would see of the Subex. The cyan-haired teen sighed. Studying and fitting in at school was hard enough without having to worry about a world hidden from everyone else's view. With heavy eyelids, he headed for the elevator, hoping that he would reach the station before it got dark.


	5. The Sun Rises for the First of Many

**Chapter 5: Sunday 14th April**

Jaden stirred in his bed as the sunlight crept through the gap between the curtains and rested on his eyelids. He opened his eyes to find that Sunday had arrived, but he was too tired to get out of bed. He rolled over to get the sun out of his eyes, only to catch sight of the corner of the room where that portal would be in that other world. Jaden shuddered. Suddenly he didn't feel like sleeping in. Jaden kicked off the covers and headed for the kitchen, taking care not to step on any of the manga spread across the bedroom floor.

As he expected, he was in the apartment alone. Both of his parents usually arrived home late from work and left early the following day, even on Sundays. Sometimes his parents would get home before dinner, but it was common for Jaden to not see them for days at a time. It was a lonely existence which he had gotten used to growing up.

The thought of his parents left Jaden when he felt his stomach grumble - maybe he should have had dinner before he went to bed. Gathering a bowl, spoon and milk, he prepared to make himself a bowl of cereal as it was quick and simple to make. After grabbing a box of Choc-la-Os, he noticed something unusual sitting on the breakfast counter in the corner of his eye. Stopping to look at it, he suddenly froze up, leading him to drop the cereal box and spilling the contents on the floor.

"What the…" An eerily familiar device laid face up on the white marble surface. The outer shell of the watch was innocent-looking, though only an inky darkness laid behind the glass. There was no mistaking this was just like the object Kota brought with him the other day, but he clearly remembered him taking back with him. Which means…

He raced back to his room and threw on whatever clothing was lying nearby. Leaving the messy kitchen as it was, Jaden quickly jammed the watch in his pocket and left the apartment on his way to see Kota.

Jaden stood at the steps of a dormitory building, his bag hanging from a strap over his left shoulder, as the sun peeked over the tops of the nearby structures. The boy stood there wearing a brown jacket on top of his yellow shirt with red text stating "Iwatodai Buccaneers!", the name of the local baseball team, bearing their logo of a fierce-looking pirate ship in the background. He also wore a faded brown pair of cargo pants with the latest white-and-red sneakers from one of the country's more desirable clothing brands.

Lucky for Jaden, Akina was awake when he asked for Kota's address via text. He didn't think that the school still housed students in older buildings such as this. Not only that, but it was so far from the campus that it was beyond unusual. Even with properties on Tatsumi Port Island costing an arm and a leg, Gekkoukan should have been able to arrange something for all their borders. Dropping that pointless subject, Jaden stepped up to the front door and rang the doorbell.

Jaden waited for a few minutes, and he pressed the buzzer a few more times. He started to think everyone was out, but then the door finally opened. On the other side of the doorway was a very tired looking Kota, still wearing his creased school uniform from the other day.

"Dude, you didn't sleep in that, did you?" Kota just rubbed the sleep from his eyes.

"I didn't mean to. I ended up collapsing on the bed the moment I set foot in my room."

"Oh... sorry. The other day must have been rough for you huh?" Jaden looked over Kota's shoulder to see if anyone was around that could possibly be eavesdropping, only to find that no-one was around at all. "What happened to your roommates? Have they all gone out?"

"I don't have any roommates. I have this whole place to myself," Kota said. Jaden noticed that he didn't seem particularly happy when he said that.

"My bad... I wouldn't have come by so early if I knew you were here by yourself," Jaden said. Kota just smiled and shook his head slightly.

"It's probably good that you woke me, otherwise I would have slept through the entire day. What brings you here anyway?"

Without saying a word, Jaden pulled the watch from his pocket and showed Kota the device. For a moment, Kota didn't react, as if he didn't believe what it was he was seeing and was waiting for his eyes to stop playing tricks on him. He then looked up to meet Jaden's eyes, stunned.

"Is this..." Kota let the shocked silence convey his surprise as Jaden sternly nodded. "How did you get this?"

"I just found it in my apartment when I woke up this morning. You still have yours, right?" Kota pressed his hand over his pocket, confirming his suspicions with a touch.

"It's right here." A thoughtful silence filled the air but was then broken by the rumble of Jaden's stomach.

"... Damn, I forgot about my breakfast." Kota chuckled out of amusement. The air was just starting to feel uneasy.

"I could do with something to eat too."

"We can head to the island to have an early lunch if that's okay with you. I wanted to show you to one of Port Island's more infamous cafés anyway."

"Honestly, Jaden, you don't have to treat me. I can pay for my own food without any problems." Kota, now wearing black long-sleeved top and light tan-coloured pants with black shoes, was looking over the prices listed on the menu of Chagall Cafe.

Jaden explained that Chagall was one of Port Island's most well-known establishments in dining, and was one of the few businesses to have not changed along with the rest of the island, keeping its traditional appearance compared to the more modern feel that most places were starting to adopt. Because of its good reputation, Kota was surprised to find that most of the food was reasonably priced.

"Look, I'm not going to take no for an answer." Jaden nonchalantly waved his hand from his seat across from Kota. "This is the least I could do after what you did for me yesterday, so don't sweat it." Kota felt a little embarrassed from hearing Jaden talk as if he was the only reason why the two of them were still alive. Had Glitch not found them and led them back to the real world, Kota and Jaden would still be trapped there. Still, Kota smiled and didn't argue any further. He was just happy that the two of them were alive.

"Ah, Jaden, fancy seeing you here."

Kota turned to the cafe employee with violet eyes and light brown hair tied in a bun, wearing a waitress outfit and a bright smile.

"Kamaya? I didn't know you worked on Sundays."

"Of course you wouldn't, you never visit outside of school days." The girl continued to smile as she looked at the unfamiliar face. "I've never seen you before. You must be new here, am I right?"

"That's right. I'm Kota Isarota, just moved here a week ago."

"Minori Kamaya. It's a pleasure to meet you." Minori bowed politely but suddenly looked worried as she stood back upright. She looked towards the counter and saw the manager busy helping another employee work the cashier. She nervously turned back to the table and smiled sheepishly at the two underclassmen, likely worried that she would get in trouble for chatting to the customers about a subject aside from the menu.

"So have you decided on what you'll be having?"

After hearing from the two boys, Minori left to pass on the orders to the chefs. Jaden watched her leave and kept a small smile on his face, probably while lost in thought.

"She seems like a nice girl," Kota spoke for the sake of saying something and brought Jaden back from his daze. Having realised that he was caught staring, Jaden sheepishly scratched the back of his head and chuckled nervously before talking.

"Yeah... She's someone I knew back when we were living in Tokyo. She works here casually quite a bit and she goes to Gekkoukan, so I see her from time to time."

"So you're just friends?" Jaden's face looked a little bitter.

"Yeah, but mind you, I gave up on her months ago. She's way out of my league." The table went quiet again as the buzz around the cafe continued to sound. There was something that Kota wanted to ask, but he was sure if Jaden would be willing to talk about it.

"If this is a sore subject, you can choose not to talk about it." Kota stopped for a moment, concerned about the bad memories Jaden implied on when he was in his state of despair. "What was it like moving here from Tokyo?" Ultimately, he curious about how Jaden handled the new surroundings since the situation was much like what Kota was going through - save for the memory loss that Kota also had to worry about.

"Well, to be honest, I didn't do so well. You wouldn't know it, but I was a real hit with the guys back in Tokyo." A smile invoked from recalling a happier time spread across Jaden's face. "The guys that I grew up with were obsessed with keeping up with the trends. We would talk about the latest bikes, gaming consoles, just about anything that happened to be cool at the time. With the money I got from my parents, I was able to buy anything I wanted and show it off to those guys, and they thought that I was awesome for that." The blonde took a moment to drum his fingers on the table, mauling over the words in his head while keeping his eyes firmly on the table.

"After I moved here last year, no one at school seemed to take the same amount of interest in me. Talking about trends and showing them off was the only thing I ever really did with my old friends, but nobody was willing to listen. I felt as though everyone but me had matured, and that everyone was labelling me as a snob and a spoilt brat."

Kota felt a sting of guilt from Jaden's words. Had he have known, he would have been more inclined to listen to Jaden's chatter on Saturday and the two of them may not have had to witness what had happened in the Subex.

"Jaden… I'm sorry, I didn't realise that were given such a tough time." But Jaden just looked at him and gave a sheepish smile.

"You have nothing to apologise for. Heck, if you haven't shown up, I probably would never have gotten over it. Both you and Akina have helped me out a lot by just being there. I know I said this the other day, but thanks for getting me out of that place. There was no way I was going to last by myself." Jaden looked at Kota with his eyes filled with appreciation as Kota felt a small bond of friendship begin to form between him and Jaden.

As the silence between the two arose once again, Kota's sense of time slowed almost to a stop as the sound of the flip of a coin echo through his mind.

_Thou art I… And I am thou…_

_Thou hast established a new bond…_

_It helps bridges the gap towards humanity's true fate…_

_Thou shalt be blessed with a Persona of the Sun Arcana…_

With a calming, but authoritative voice, the words sounded like they came from the blue butterfly which awakened Kota's abilities. After hearing those words, Kota thought back to what Igor and Elsa said in the Velvet Room.

_Through improving your relationships with others and strengthening your bonds, your power will grow, leading you closer towards your final goal._

While Kota still wasn't all that sure about how he would go about reaching 'humanity's true fate', he trusted that establishing bonds would help him in that cause.

In a blink of an eye, the café became its busy, noisy self again. Jaden, unaware of the pause in time, glanced over to another of the young waitresses who was tending to another table.

"So what do you think of the girls here?"

"Huh?" Kota gave a startled response as a playful smirk formed on Jaden's face.

"Are any of them your type? It's about time that I pry some information out of you for once."

While Kota would admit that some of the girls caught his eye, he didn't have any real opinion on what his 'type' actually was. He wasn't comfortable talking about stuff like that anyway.

"W-well... I'd rather not say! Besides, why would you want to know that about me, of all things?" Kota blurted his response loud enough for him to feel the gazes of people at nearby tables, adding further embarrassment to the situation. An expression of mock disappointment was then shot across the table from the fellow classmate.

"Aww... That's no fun. You're going to have to let me in on your philosophy sooner or later." Ignoring Kota's question, Jaden noticed Minori walk towards them while balancing the two ordered dishes on either one of her arms. "Although... I think I may know just how to find out for myself."

"What's up, Jaden?"

"Could I order two Pheromone Coffees, please?"

"Ah, treating the new guy to our speciality I see... two Pheromone Coffees coming right up." Looking rather pleased with himself, Jaden turned back to face Kota as Minori left once more. Kota eyed his classmate suspiciously.

"What are you up to?"

"Oh yeah, you wouldn't know. Apparently, there is something special about Pheromone Coffee which only Chagall serves. They say that drinking it makes you more attractive towards the opposite sex." Kota waited for an explanation as to how it was meant to work, but Jaden just looked to be daydreaming again, likely to be the thought of several girls clenching his arms and shirt while pleading their love for him.

"Are you sure about that? It sounds like a scam to me." Kota said. Brought back suddenly from his dream with the unwanted response, Jaden seemed desperate to convince his friend that the coffee did work.

"It's true though! It has actually been proven! I-I mean I don't know anyone personally who had gone through with it… but it's just widely accepted that it works." Sceptical of the drink's so-called powers, Kota raised an eyebrow at Jaden who sighed in turn. "Well, that's more reason for us to test it for ourselves. Every Sunday, we'll meet up here and have a Pheromone Coffee."

"That seems like quite a hassle…"

"C'mon Kota, I've been itching to try this out for ages. I'll pay for your drinks if that's what you want."

"That's not the issue here…" Kota sighed. He wasn't in the mood to argue with Jaden. What's more, as he thought back to the empty dormitory waiting for him in Iwatodai, Jaden's offer to meet up every Sunday didn't seem all that bad. "Ok fine. We'll meet here next week."

"You won't regret this, Kota!" Jaden leaned forward towards his friend and tried to keep his voice down despite him almost trembling with excitement. "Trust me when I say that we will be a bunch of chick-magnets in no time!" Kota couldn't stop himself from rolling his eyes but also started laughing along with Jaden as the two coffees made their way to their table.

**Monday 15th April**

"So how did it go?" Akina spoke to Kota as they walked towards the train station at a leisurely pace. Thanks to Kota waking up from the best sleep that he could ever recall having, the two students were on their way to school with plenty of time to spare.

"You mean the thing with Jaden? It was alright, I guess."

"Just alright? Jaden messaged me the day after to ask for your address, so it must have been more than alright. He usually never goes out of his way to meet up with people." Kota quietly thought about how to explain that. He felt that he couldn't tell her about the Subex or Personas, seeing that she wouldn't believe him and only complicate things.

"He wanted to show me a café in Paulownia. Chagall, I think it was. He just wanted to talk about… stuff."

"Stuff, huh?" It was painstakingly obvious from Akina's tone that she wasn't particularly pleased with Kota's vague statement. "Well, it sounds like you two are hitting it off, which is great. It's nice to see that he has made a good friend…" Akina slowly moved her gaze down to her feet. Kota thought he sensed a bit of sadness in her voice.

"Are you feeling alright?" Akina shook her head.

"I'm just a little tired. My parents have been busy lately and I've been helping them out, but I feel fine." Akina gave Kota a smile to try and reassure him, but he didn't buy it. He knew there was something else, but he felt that he didn't know her well enough to ask about it.

The lunch bell could not have come soon enough as the mathematics teacher, Ms Miyahara, was just starting to talk about her fascination for equations which involves dividing by zero. Jaden got out of his seat and walked over to Kota's desk.

"Yo. Could we talk about...Saturday?" Jaden lowered his voice when he brought up the day. "I sorta forgot to bring that up yesterday."

"Oh... What happened on Saturday?"

Jaden seemed to stiffen at the sound of Akina's voice as Kota turned to see her still seated beside him, gazing at the boys with a curious look.

"Yonashi…" Kota unconsciously drummed his fingers on the desk a few times, trying to figure out what to say next. "Do you think that you could let Gatogi and I talk between ourselves during lunch?"

"Yeah! It's ... well, you know... guy stuff!" Jaden let out a nervous laugh as he scratched the back of his head. The lie was so blatantly obvious that Akina saw right through it.

"I see…" Akina turned away from Kota and Jaden, instead of looking into the corner of the room behind them. "Don't let me bother you then. I'll see you guys later." Pulling her beanie slightly further down her face, Akina lowered her head and left the room with haste.

"What do you think that was about?" Kota sat in the cafeteria across from Jaden as the blonde was in the middle of enjoying his instant ramen. Jaden slurped up the remaining strands dangling from his mouth and swallowed before replying.

"You know what she's like. The girl overreacts about every little thing but is perfectly fine the moment you blink."

"I use to think so, but she seemed down this morning and hasn't cheered up since."

"Really?" Jaden put his chopsticks down and wore a thoughtful expression. "She usually acts like that if her parents' organisation is up to their necks in work, like with protests and fundraising and such."

"So it's nothing that we should be worried about?" Jaden gave off a winning smile.

"Nah, she'll be fine. She's just so passionate about that environmental stuff that she lets it get to her." The blonde nodded at the steaming instant noodle dish in front of Kota. "It's going to get cold if you don't get started on that."

"Oh...right" Kota poked his chopsticks into the soup and moved it in a circular motion before nibbling at one of the noodles. Despite Jaden's assurances, he felt bad for Akina.

The buzz of the newly-built cafeteria, fuelled by the conversing between the hungry students, filled the silence between the two second-years. While the room was packed, Kota and Jaden were able to claim a table by windows overlooking the baseball field behind the school. Not only was the table less susceptive to the noisy locality and safer from prying ears, but the ocean view beyond the pitch was something to be admired. Remembering why he asked to eat with Kota alone, Jaden's expression quickly became more serious.

"Dammit Kota, you took us off topic again."

"What do you mean 'again'? You were the one begging me to give up my weekends to have coffee with you and going on to talk about what you like in a girl."

"You make it sound like I'm punishing you when you put it that way," Jaden whined. Kota had to admit that he found some enjoyment out of pushing Jaden's buttons. "Anyway, shouldn't we get to the point?"

"Right," Kota agreed. "So much happened that day, I don't really know where to start."

"Let's start with what the hell that place was. Do you think it was really what 'Trenchy' said it was?"

"A world where our subconscious thoughts reside…" The existence of such a place never crossed Kota's mind before. Had he not been there himself, it would have quickly been written off as nonsense. "I think so. She didn't have any reason to lie to us. If it wasn't for her, we may have never been able to make it back."

"Yeah, I guess… I keep thinking back to that spaceship we first woke up in. Just being in that place made me feel… negative… like everything I had and want wasn't worth a damn."

"You don't remember what happened when you first got there?" Kota asked Jaden just shook his head in response. "You certainly weren't yourself. The moment that you got there, you wandered into that large computer room before you started ranting."

"I do recall some of what I said... though I can't say that it wasn't entirely true." Jaden bowed his head slightly. "I'm sorry… I said some malicious things to you while we were there."

"It couldn't be helped. You had no control over any of that, and It's not like it's uncommon to have negative feelings towards other people."

"It isn't something you should just brush off." Kota just shrugged, causing Jaden to breathe out a defeated sigh. "Anyway, on to the next order of business. How did you come across your watch or, whatever? I asked my parents about the one in my house, they figured I had just left it out after you were over and didn't think much of it."

"It was just with the rest of my luggage shortly after I arrived in Iwatodai."

"So it just appeared in thin air for you too, huh? You didn't see anyone go through your stuff before you found it, did you?"

"That's the thing. I had unpacked my bag a day earlier and I didn't see it then." Kota reflected for a moment to confirm this, then shook his head. "Someone must have broken into the dormitory then…"

"Don't sweat over it too much. Whoever gave it to you must have been careful not to stick out. Hell, they managed to get into my apartment without raising any red flags." The staff at the apartment complex seemed vigilant of anyone strolling in without proper reason, so they must have been good at keeping a low profile. Jaden paused for a moment to take in another mouthful of noodles. "What do they expect us to do with them, I wonder. Do you think whoever planted them intend to trick other people into using the watches?"

"I don't think so. We already know what they do, so it's not like they would expect us to make the same mistake twice." Jaden nodded in agreement. "Regardless, we need to keep them away from everyone and make sure they don't have to go through what we just did."

"Right, I don't think people are even meant to go to a place as dangerous as that."

"And another thing…"

"Yeah?"

"I think we should tell Yonashi about what happened."

"What!?" Jaden leaned over the table and lowered his voice. "Do you realise that she won't believe a word that we say? Why would we do that?" Kota lowered his head, but his eyes remained firmly on Jaden's.

"She knows we're hiding something and she deserves to hear the truth from us, no matter how outlandish it may seem to her." Jaden sat upright again and stared blankly at the table in front of him.

"I don't think that she'll take that very well. But you're right, we shouldn't keep it from her." Lazily prodding what little was remaining in his bowl, he let out a sigh. Thinking about his unknown move to Iwatodai, Kota looked sadly at his rapidly-cooling lunch and forced himself to take another bite.

Despite Jaden later trying to liven up the discussion by poking fun at a number of school's staff, he knew that Jaden was also bothered by the Subex and Akina. The welcoming sound of the bell signalling the resumption of classes couldn't come sooner, as both students were able to switch their focus to the upcoming lessons.

**Tuesday 16th April**

Kota checked his phone for the third time as he stood at the front of his dormitory. There were only a few minutes left until the train left the Iwatodai Station, so he would have to run there again if he was going to make it in time. The real problem was that Akina was yet to arrive, strange considering that Akina had always arrived before Kota was ready for school previously.

When Kota and Jaden attended their afternoon classes, Akina never re-joined them. After some asking around, they discovered from one of the members of the environmental club that she asked the principal to be excused for the day and was allowed to leave. The member said that she wasn't certain why she left, but it likely had something to do with Iwatodai Future Preservation Group's involvement in an environmental dispute.

Concerned that Akina may be getting stressed from carrying out her duties, Kota was hoping to walk to school with her again to see how she was feeling. He also wanted to explain what happened in the Subex. Something was eating away at her and the last thing he wanted to do was keep her in the dark.

Just as Kota was considering running to the station and meeting her there, he noticed the iconic dark beanie further down the pavement. Akina was moving at a slow walking pace with a slouching posture, her gaze not looking out much further than her feet. She was taking so long to reach Kota that he decided to run to her.

"What are you doing? You realise that the train is going to arrive at any moment right?"

"Sorry…" Akina mumbled, but she didn't move any quicker and kept her head hung.

"What happened?" She stopped and continued to avert her eyes from Kota as she clutched her fist, likely contemplating whether or not to say anything.

"I hate Gatogi." Akina spoke, just loudly enough for Kota to hear.

"What?" The strong statement was far from what Kota was expecting.

"He's such a jerk, he talks about how useless the forests are and how everyone is just wasting my time with trying to protect them. Then, he shuts himself in his room and only hangs out with me if he has nothing better to do. I guess he hasn't got any more use for me." Kota was stunned by the sudden outburst, unsure of how to calm down a very tense Akina.

"He's not like that…"

"How would you know? You'd just met the guy!" Akina looked up at Kota with her red eyes, having looked like she had recently been crying. What on Earth happened that got her so distraught? "What happened to make you and him become the best of buds all of a sudden? Huh!?" The earlier motivation to set things straight with her had completely disappeared. Kota knew that if he wasn't careful, Akina would start gunning for him.

"I can't tell you…"

For several tense moments, Akina's threatening eyes softened, transitioning into a sadder-looking pair.

"You two bonded over gossip about me. Is that what it was?"

"What? No! Of course not."

"Then what happened!?" All the yelling that went on in the residential district was sure to attract plenty of attention from anyone who was passing by, but Kota never bothered to check for any onlookers.

"Look…" Kota lowered his voice to try and keep himself from being overheard. "This might be hard to believe, but I want you to know what happened that day…"

Kota reluctantly started to recap what happened when Jaden pressed the crown of the watch and transported them to the Subex. He briefly went on about waking up inside the dark halls of the spaceship, but Akina interrupted him.

"Isarota, stop." Akina took a step back, hiding her eyes by keeping her head low. "I'd maybe expect Jaden to make up stories like that, but for you to be mocking me like this…"

"Akina…"

"Don't you dare start!" The short girl pointed a stiff finger at Kota, glaring at him through watery eyes. "Why don't you just… just go to hell!"

Upset and in tears, she pivoted on the spot and ran back to where she appeared from. Kota stared after her until she was out of sight. Feeling hurt and confused, the cyan-haired boy looked at his watch once again to find that his train had well and truly left the station. Wondering how he would explain things to Jaden, Kota slowly made his way to school.


	6. A Stuffed Rabbit's Tale

**Chapter 6: Tuesday 16th April**

Class 2-C had almost finished its second lesson by the time Kota entered the classroom. Not only did Kota have to catch the later train that arrived ten minutes after the intended train had left, but he also got lost while he was making his way through the crowded streets of Tatsumi Port Island. Kota had never noticed how much he relied on Akina to lead the way to school before he stepped out of the station.

The room went quiet as Kota made his appearance. Unluckily for him, Composition was being taught, meaning that Ms Toriumi was the teacher he had to answer to. Kota had always had a feeling that he wasn't welcomed in her class for whatever reason, and now he could feel the cold glare from his homeroom teacher.

"Isarota, classes started more than two hours ago. What took you so long?" She said. Kota rubbed the back of his neck as he felt his nerves start to become unsettled from being put on the spot.

"I'm sorry. I got lost on the way here. I'm still a little unfamiliar with the island."

"Even after a week? Then again, Yonashi doesn't seem to be with you..." Ms Toriumi organised the papers in front of her as she thought about what punishment she would impose on the latecomer. "Fine. I'll let you go just this once, but only if you bring me a cake before the end of the week.

"A cake, miss?"

"I'm not joking." Ms Toriumi's glare reinforced her words before she signalled for Kota to take his seat. Mentally blocking out the chatter between his classmates on the way to his seat, he caught Jaden's concerned gaze as he moved towards the back of the room. There was a lot of explaining that had to be done.

"I'm really sorry that it came to that." Kota apologised after he explained why Akina didn't turn up for school. "Maybe if I had held off on telling her about the Subex, I wouldn't have made her so angry at us." The classroom was filled with loud discussions as the students awaited the next teacher to arrive, so Kota took the time to inform his friend on the fight he had with Akina.

"Don't beat yourself up. It sounded like you were going to set her off either way." Jaden comforting smile faded, appearing to be almost as upset as the transfer student.

"Is something wrong?"

"Well..." Jaden drummed his fingers on his desk. "I think I know why she is in such a bad mood." Kota looked confused as the blonde tried to explain. "You know how she first mentioned that my parents' work had been investing in several community developmental programs? It turns out that there was a dispute over some land ended yesterday, with the Iwatodai Future Preservation Group looking to save the woodlands in that area."

"And the IFPG lost?"

"It wasn't protected by the government, so the courts couldn't place an injunction on the clearing of the land."

"And she blames you for that?"

"I don't think so. I think that she just feels like she has to unload her anger onto someone. I don't mind though. It's not I like I'm a perfect friend either." Jaden gave a self-mocking smile, but Kota could see through it. He was hurt by Akina's comments, saying how she hated him.

Just as Kota was silently cursing himself for giving him so much detail on the unpleasant exchange of words, he noticed a female student with short pink hair, nervously talking to one of his classmates from the doorway.

"Hey, Gatogi and new guy," The boy was the only person in the class who never seemed to wear the school blazer when he attended class, replacing it with a deep blue vest. He was easily distinguishable from his fellow peers due to his rolled-up shirt sleeves and blue bandanna he had tied around his left bicep. His sandy brown hair and matching eye colour seemed to complement his cool demeanour as he held his arms folded while leaning by the doorway. "The freshman over here wants the two of you to fight in the hallway for her affection."

Several of the guys who had overheard him chuckled as the girl physically recoiled from shock, her large blue eyes adequately reflecting the panic that gripped her.

"Whatever, Kushiro. I'll see what she wants." The boy chuckled as he rejoined his friends. Kota followed Jaden to where the girl was waiting and closed the door behind him. Jaden gave a kind smile to the first-year to reassure her as she still looked flustered from before. "Don't mind Kushiro. He jokes around a lot, but he's a nice guy. Don't take what he says too seriously."

"That's good... For a moment I thought that he just misunderstood." The girl, petite in size even by first-year standards, seemed relieved. "But if what your classmate saying was true, would you do it?" She looked at her upperclassmen with innocent curiosity.

"You mean fight for you?" Jaden rubbed the back of his neck with a sense of unease. "You're… undeniably cute but, that said… there will definitely be someone out there that would do that."

"He means to say no," Kota spoke bluntly, leading Jaden to turn to his friend in alarm.

"Don't go speaking on my behalf! Especially if you're going to say something so brutally candid!" The girl looked discouraged at first but sighed in acknowledgement.

"Boo! I guess that's to be expected..."

"Anyway, what can we do for you?" Jaden asked, seeking to resolve the awkward turn to the conversation.

"Right…" The girl seemed to become serious all of a sudden. "You two are friends with Mrs Yonashi, right?" Jaden and Kota looked at each other, both not sure how to answer.

"I think so," Kota spoke in a somewhat uneasy manner. "We had a fight this morning, so I can't be sure."

"Wait! You saw her this morning!?"

"Huh? Yeah…" A sickening feeling started to fill Kota's stomach. "Why? Did something happen?" The young girl looked down at her feet, wearing a sad look on her face.

"She's in hospital. She passed out on her way to school and isn't waking up." A shocked silence loomed over the hallway as Jaden's mouth twitched as if he had just heard a cringe-worthy joke.

"What?" Jaden's voice was suddenly weak, barely carrying to the girl. "So she just collapsed for no reason? Does anyone know what happened to her!?"

"I don't know what happened. Her mother told me everything she knew over the phone, but I'm sure that the doctors are figuring that out now." Disturbed by the lack of information on Akina's wellbeing, Jaden looked to Kota as he was being disturbingly quiet.

The boy remained where he stood, though shaking slightly at the hands. His face showed little expression aside from the dull-blue eyes which were unblinking, frozen. For whatever reason, Kota couldn't help but feel that he could have done something. Right when he let Akina run from him, she passed out with an illness and he wasn't able to do anything about it.

It was all his fault.

The next class was in session and Kota couldn't shake the terrible feeling that he had since he heard the news about Akina. He regretted letting her run from him and not looking to find out why she was so bothered during those last few days. Despite not knowing for sure why she fell into a coma, Kota's intuition led him to believe that it was linked to how odd she was acting earlier. If only he wasn't so absorbed with his own problems...

Damn it! Why didn't I follow her when she ran off?

"Is there a problem, Isarota?" Mr Takenozuka, the school's physics teacher, looked Kota with an impatient look. Kota had been spaced out since returning from the hallway, staring down at the closed workbook untouched on his desk. "If you're having difficulty writing the words on the board before I erase them, you could just borrow one of your friends' notes. Gatogi, could you write another set of notes for Isarota?"

"But sir, I'm struggling to write just for myself. You're going through everything so quickly." It was apparent this was a problem the entire class had with their physics teacher. A couple of the students even took the break to stretch out their tired hands.

"Nonsense! You kids are just not used to writing with all the time you spend on 'Myface', or whatever it's called." Mr Takenozuka looked to Kota again as the boy hurriedly wiped the tears welling up in his eyes. "Step out of the room for a bit if you need to. Now, if everyone remembers the equation given in Newton's second law and apply it here..." Glancing at the empty seat beside him, Kota grabbed his bag before leaving the room without looking back.

Feeling light-headed and unable to concentrate, Kota decided to skip the rest of the school day despite not even getting through one whole lesson. Taking off for the front exit, Kota realised that he probably couldn't visit Akina without running into an awkward situation with the parents or the hospital staff. With nothing better to do, the Wild Card user headed for the dormitory.

Kota looked around the dormitory foyer as soon as he returned. The first thing he wanted to do was to find something that made enough noise to drown out his thoughts. Barely a minute passed and Kota found a traditional radio behind the front counter. It looked to be a model that would have been popular short of a decade ago, but it seemed to be in good condition considering that fact. He switched the device on, thankful that he didn't have to search for batteries as well, and fiddled with the dial until catchy rock music started blaring through the speakers. While he lay on the nearby couch, staring at the ceiling with glassy eyes, Kota continued to listen to the radio as the station's news update sounded out.

_And in World News, the Californian government has been counting up the costs brought on by a monster hurricane that struck the west coast of the US. The disaster hit at 4 am local time, with its presence felt 90km across the state of California. An estimated 7,000 homes have been left uninhabitable and 34 people are currently missing._

_It is the second natural disaster in as many months after a cyclone tore through Argentina, affecting 32 towns and villages where 23 people lost their lives. Exper-_

Kota gave a frustrated groan as the news caster's voice faded, only to be consumed by loud static. As Kota lazily rolled off the couch, more noises were being projected from the radio. A sound not unlike one that is heard when changing channels was vibrating in Kota's ears, becoming more and more frequent over the static as the radio was being approached. With a sense of worry, Kota tweaked the dials to find that the device wasn't responding.

_Hello... Persona-user, do you read me?_

Kota recoiled from the speakers as a familiar voice suddenly sounded out above the static

"Glitch?"

_I won't be able to hear you so listen closely. Somehow, another person got over here. Unlike when you and your friend were over here, I don't think that they will be able to fend for themselves. I need you to get over here as soon as you can, I'll try and fill you in on what I know when you get here._

The background noise dimmed as the transmission ended, eventually replaced with the catchy tune from the radio station.

For the longest time, Kota just stood where he was, looking dumbfounded at the radio. Then another thought crossed his mind. A person ended up in the Subex shortly after Akina mysteriously collapsed...

Surely Akina couldn't be the one wandering around that awful place. Surely not.

When Glitch guided Kota to an archway similar to the one that led to the spaceship, the teen could feel his heart jumping into his throat. It was only a few blocks from the dormitory where he last saw her, possibly the place where she fell into her coma.

"How do you think this happened?" The question was posed to himself more so than to Glitch, but she answered anyway.

"I can't say I know. It's unlikely they had a Transferral on them, and I believed it was the only way for people's consciousness to venture here." The trench coat-clad girl gave him a look from beneath the brim of her hat. "Is it someone you know?"

"It... it could be." To hide the hurt on his face, Kota stepped towards the arch and placed his hand in its centre. Unlike the one that led to the busted spaceship, the arch was sealed shut with a solid crimson-red wall appearing where the portal should be. "Why can't we go in?"

"When gateways between layers of consciousness open up, it is almost immediately shut again to prevent the Subex's collapse. The gateway that leads to your friend's inner thoughts is too unstable to be left open right now." Kota dug his nails into the red matter as if he was hoping that it was a curtain that he can pull away.

"So there's nothing we can do?" Kota's voice was shaky, despair arising from within his mind.

"There could be a way-"

"Yes?" Kota cut her off. " I'm willing to try it, whatever it is." While keeping her passive facial expression, Glitch rubbed her chin with her gloved hand.

"Well I can't be sure that it will work, but if you know who's in there, you could find a tangible object that this person has a strong emotional attachment to. If the gateway senses the affection from the object, it may act as a key and open the door for others to enter." While she certainly didn't make it sound simple, Kota nodded.

"I'll see what I can find." Kota went to return to his silhouette.

"Be sure to come here from inside your dormitory. I'll be waiting for you there."

The final bell of the day sounded as Kota leaned against the school gate. As the Gekkoukan students streamed out the doors, the cyan-haired boy scanned his eyes over each of the student's faces. He felt his chest start to tighten, a clear sign of his growing restlessness as it escalated with every passing second. Knowing that a person' s life depended on his actions, he had to be sure he wasn't going to waste any time finding something like what Glitch had described. He couldn't think of anything himself, but he knew there was someone he could ask.

Catching sight of Jaden mindlessly walking with music blasting through his earphones, Kota quickly got in his path. Engrossed in his music as he was known to do, the blonde didn't recognise Kota's presence until he almost bumped into him.

"Ah!" As if Kota had just appeared before his eyes, Jaden jumped back with a startled look on his face, accidentally hitting another male student as he suddenly backed up. He nervously chuckled and apologised in response to the annoyed glare and took off his earphones.

"You really have some nerve scaring me like that after you ditched school without me. You could have invited me along." Jaden spoke in a half-joking manner. Kota glumly looked away from Jaden as his way of showing that he wasn't in the mood. Either he didn't realise how serious Akina's situation had become, or he was trying to cover up how worried he was.

English rock lyrics could be heard playing from Jaden's earphones as they were slipped into his pocket. "You're still feeling down about it, huh?" Jaden said in a concerned tone.

"I need something of Akina's that will help me save her." Kota firmly returned Jaden's gaze.

"Save?" Jaden quickly dropped his carefree front as he started to realise.

"It's really important that you help me find it."

"This is the place," Jaden muttered as he and Kota stood in front of a small house. It looked to have been constructed decades ago, something which was really rare among the other homes in Iwatodai.

Kota had already explained the situation to Jaden as they left the school, and when Kota said that he suspected that Akina was the one trapped in the other world, Jaden lead him straight to the girl's house.

"How do you think we'll get inside?" Kota spoke quietly, not wanting to be heard by anyone that may be inside. Jaden pondered over how he could get into the house. If her parents were home, then getting into her room would be impossible without a good excuse.

"I think I have something. Wait here." Jaden stepped up to the front door and pressed the doorbell. There was a long pause after the soft tune could be heard bouncing off the walls behind the door. Jaden was about to reach for the button again when he heard footsteps. Without a rush, the door was opened by a rather tall man. His posture was as rigid as Jaden had ever seen, which was worth something considering the people he had seen his parents with. The man peered down at Jaden through his glasses with a suspicious look in his eyes.

"Gatogi's boy... What's the meaning of this visit?"

Jaden felt intimidated as the man's gaze remained on him, unmoving and growing with malice. It had only just occurred to Jaden that he was the worst person to ask for a favour from the Yonashi's. Not only was Jaden's dad assisting in running the company that had been scheming to expand the city at the expense of the surrounding woodlands, but the Iwatodai Future Preservation Group had recently failed in preventing more deforestation by the bank, likely indirectly leading to Akina's collapse. As fearful as he was standing before the man, he held his ground knowing that he didn't have any other choice. Kota and Akina were depending on him.

"I'm sorry to bother you Mr Yonashi, but our physics teacher wanted the class to turn in some work today. He was hoping that someone could collect Akina's assignment for him." It was the best lie that Jaden could come up with. He purposely chose the work to be a physics assignment because if there was a teacher he could throw under the bus, it would be Mr Takenozuka. It was because of the excessive note taking that he made the class do that made Jaden feel like he was coming down with arthritis in his left wrist.

"So that's what you want?" Mr Yonashi looked to be in thought as to whether the matter was important enough to let his most disliked adolescent into his own home. "I'll show you to her room then." Jaden bowed as a sign of gratitude and followed the man inside.

Being led through the dimly-lit house to a door at the far end of the house, Mr Yonashi held the door open for Jaden to enter. "I'm in the middle of tutoring, so I will be leaving you here. If I find that anything valuable is missing, I won't hesitate to contact the school."

Once in the room, Jaden noticed how the air had drastically lost its density as Mr Yonashi's footsteps became more distant. Something about the way that man acted rubbed him the wrong way. Shouldn't he be a little more... well... upset from Akina being in a coma?

Focusing on the task at hand, Jaden looked around the tidy room with the soft carpet beneath his feet. He moved past the neatly organised bookshelf and dug through the contents of the desk's drawers for anything that would seem useful. Old school notes, flyers on IFPG-organised rallies and the odd paper-back book were all present in the first couple of drawers. Pulling open the bottom drawer open, he was surprised to find the space packed with beauty cosmetics, ranging from foundation powder to eyeliners and lipsticks.

The beauty products brought about memories that Jaden had of Akina after he met her a year ago. She would apply that makeup to herself whenever she was out in public. The more upset and self-conscious she was the more make-up she would use to cover her face. Thankfully, it was a habit she fell out of shortly before the end of their first year at Gekkoukan.

Thinking back to those days, the image of Akina sitting in the back corner of the classroom crossed his mind. The girl's pink beanie covered most of her short white hair as she hid her face behind a stuffed rabbit she was tightly holding in front of her.

"The rabbit," Jaden thought out loud as he turned to find that same small rabbit sitting against the pillow on Akina's bed. It was just as the boy remembered it. Matted grey fur with bald patches at various parts around the body, chipped nose and one eye remaining loosely attached to the rabbit's face by a single strand.

"How have you been, old friend?" Jaden carefully picked up the rabbit and headed towards the exit, knowing that the stuffed toy was just what he needed. Avoiding Akina's father with ease, Jaden didn't bother to announce his departure before returning to Kota.

**One year earlier...**

"So how about it? Wanna take a look at my Pocket Creature card collection?" The two boys before Jaden looked at each other with confusion until one of them sighed harshly and looked back at the blonde.

"Look, man, we aren't interested. Besides, we've already made plans with someone else after school today."

"You wouldn't happen to have room for one more, would ya?" Jaden smiled hopefully but the boys didn't even show a hint of friendliness.

"Sorry, it's between us long-time buds. Another day perhaps." They were quick to run out the predominantly empty classroom, most likely to eat at the new cafeteria that was completed over the winter break that most of the student body was excited about.

"I swear, this was a lot easier back in Tokyo." Jaden's first day of high school started out to be one to forget. He had failed to bond with any of the boys in his class that he had spoken to so far, and while Jaden had a smirk on his face as he joked to himself, he started to sense that going through the prime of his youth as a loner was a real possibility.

Mauling over what his options were for his free period, an abrupt nudge on his shoulder interrupted Jaden and almost forced him off his feet. His eyes darted over to whatever hit him and immediately saw the pink beanie of someone much shorter than him. Jaden heard a small yelp as he watched the female student stumble backwards, clutching her nose.

"Hey now! Be careful with where you're going." The girl looked up at him with her red, teary eyes with a glare that was so harsh that it felt as though it was piercing his own brown eyes. In the well-lit room, Jaden was able to notice that her face was heavily coated in a foundation, accompanied by the thick eyeliner she had on.

"J-Jerk!" The girl was fighting to hold back her sobs as she nudged past him and headed for the hallway. The girl's reaction took him by surprise. It wasn't like she would have hurt herself by walking into him with so little force.

The blonde heard giggling from behind him before three girls walked past him from where the odd girl sat. From observing their malicious smirks and forcibly hushed voices, Jaden knew that whatever they were laughing about wasn't tasteful.

"Was that girl being bullied?" Being the only person remaining in the room, Jaden voiced his question to himself to fill up the quietness that remained with him. Deciding that it shouldn't be his problem, Jaden stepped towards the noise that ran through the halls. It was then when Jaden felt something under his foot. He looked down to see a grey stuffed rabbit.

Jaden picked up the stuffed rabbit and frowned at it as it almost looked deformed. He carefully brushed the footprint from the stuffed toy, running his fingers over the rabbit's patchy fur. He noticed how clean and soft it felt given that it had just been stomped on. Its battered appearance wasn't brought about by negligent, but merely of age.

"That clumsy blockhead must have dropped it when she ran into me." As strange as she was, Jaden had to return it to her if he wanted to avoid feeling any future guilt.

Jaden couldn't find her during the lunch break, even though he scoured the whole school in search of her. As he was new to the campus, he got lost on multiple occasions and was lucky to make his way back to his classroom before the teacher started the next lesson. When he took his seat and pulled out his books, he looked over his shoulder and saw that the girl wasn't in her seat.

As the hours went by, the empty desk at the back of the class still bothered Jaden. The introductory lectures from each of the teachers were little more than background noise as he tried his best to take in what was being said. He couldn't help but regularly glance at the patchy rabbit staring back at him from his lap through its one good eye.

Just as Jaden was drifting into sleep with the sounds of raindrops tapping on glass, the final chime played through the intercom. The students around him gathered their belongings and left swiftly in groups. Jaden sluggishly followed, readying his umbrella for the walk home.

The halls were quiet as the blonde headed for the main gate with most of the school-goers rushing to carry out their arrangements for the afternoon. Jaden let out a frustrated sigh. He was hoping more than anything that he would be surrounded by new friends by the end of the day, yet he was barely able to hold a conversation with anyone he came across. Forfeiting to the idea that he would have to spend the remainder of the day alone in the nearby arcade, Jaden slipped on his shoes by his shoe locker.

Before reaching the steps leading to the wide path lined with cherry blossoms, Jaden caught sight of a familiar shade of pink. The beanie-wearing girl from lunch was resting her head and shoulder on the marble pillar, staring blankly at the heavy rainfall before her.

"Hey there. I didn't get to see you after you ran into me during lunch." Jaden said. The girl lifted her head and looked at Jaden with mild surprise before looking back at the raindrops rapidly bombarding the pavement. Despite not getting a response, Jaden was determined to maintain his cheerfulness. "I'm sorry if you got hurt. You had me worried when you didn't come back for class."

"I'm sure you have better things to do then talk to me, so you should go." Her harsh words felt as though they left paper-thin cut all across his chest. Jaden wasn't sure if that was because he was disappointed about being shrugged off again, or because he was reminded of his failure to find any friends.

"Well... not really. It would be nice but-" Jaden stopped himself from going on. Complaining to a stranger like this wasn't something he wanted to do. The girl looked at him without the sharpness that was there when they first met. Wanting to divert the focus from him, Jaden shuffled through his bag and produced the rabbit from it.

"You dropped this back in the classroom." The girl's eyes widened when she saw her stuffed animal and promptly took hold of it when Jaden held it out for her. "You should take better care of your things. Mr Bunny looks like he has seen better days."

"He looks fine!" The girl's outburst conveyed a feeling of sadness, rather than anger, when she held the rabbit to her chest defensively. "I think he's cute as he is." While he had no way of knowing that she was sensitive about her rabbit like that, Jaden felt terrible for upsetting her.

"Oh... um, s-sorry." The raindrops filled the silence that had arisen between them. The girl had rested her chin on the rabbit and stroked the back of its head with her thumb. Unsatisfied with leaving her alone in that state, Jaden spoke up.

"Why are you still standing around here anyway? Don't you have an umbrella?" The girl kept the rabbit close to her, covering her mouth with its matted fur. After a few passing moments, she shook her head subtly enough to keep her face hidden. Jaden opened his umbrella and stood close to her so the frame remained over both of their heads. The girl jumped from shock from the sudden encroachment of her space but could go back as far as the pillar behind her. Jaden smiled sheepishly at her.

"Let me walk you home. It will probably be nightfall by the time the rain lets up." She held her back against the pillar and had her alarmed gaze remain on Jaden for a moment before looking at her feet in thought. She wordlessly took half a step towards Jaden, unable to properly use the rabbit to hide her cheeks as they gave off a light red glow.

"I just need to get to the station…"

"Not a problem."

The girl edged a little closer to him once they took the first step out into the rain. Had the construction of the tramline been finished by then, the two of them could have caught it to the train station and not have to worry about the rain. Instead, they walked alongside the ditch where the work was being done before it was momentarily abandoned due to the poor weather.

"The name's Jaden Gatogi by the way."

"Akina Yonashi." Jaden looked over at the not-so-talkative girl just to observe her. While Akina was an odd one, he felt nervous about walking so close to a girl. Being able to look at her more closely, he was easily able to notice the tear marks made by her eyeliner. The stray raindrop managed to land on her face and wash over part of her foundation despite the umbrella remaining over her.

"W-what are you gawking at?" Akina shied away from Jaden's gaze while he was oblivious of how weirded out she felt.

"Your make-up's running." Her eyes widened before she turned her head away from Jaden.

"J-just don't look at it then… Jerk." Jaden stopped abruptly, causing Akina to walk out into the rain. After a few steps, the white-haired girl realised that the umbrella was no longer above her. She darted back under the umbrella, but not before her beanie and shoulders got drenched. "What?"

"Just tidy yourself up with this." Jaden pulled a handkerchief from out of his pocket and handed it to Akina. She looked irritably at the plain white cloth, then sighed before handing the toy rabbit to the blonde and pulling out a pocket mirror, pointing it at her own face.

With the rain dampening her faces, the girl was able to firmly rub off the make-up relatively easily. After the last of the lipstick was scrubbed off, Jaden physically recoiled from the sight of her.

"Hey! What's with that look?"

"Nothing… With the amount of make-up you use, I just thought that you would have a huge scar on your face or be really ugly or something. Ow!" Jaden's words had earned him a kick in the shin from the not so impressed beanie-clad girl. It took all of the boy's willpower to keep the umbrella above their heads as the pain shot up his leg.

"Of course I'm not ugly!" Akina pouted as she gave herself one last glimpse at the mirror before putting it back in her blazer pocket. Snatching the rabbit back from Jaden, she wrapped her arms around it once more.

"Seriously though, you look fine. I'd imagine that you would be really cute if you smiled a bit more."

"You must have horrible taste in women then."

"…That's the appreciation I get for trying to cheer you up?" Picking up the sincerity in his voice, Akina let the stern look on her face ease into a look of remorse.

"I'm sorry." She let her arms drop to her sides so she could talk more openly with him. "I guess I'm not used to getting complimented like this."

"You know… There are these two words that people usually say to show that they are appreciative of an act of kindness."

"I know what they are!" After fighting herself to keep a straight face, Akina turned her head to hide her smile. "So… thank you, Gatogi."

"Anytime…" The pair continued to move through the quiet streets again when Jaden spoke up again. "Listen, this might not mean much but if anyone gives you a hard time or you're feeling down," Jaden spoke seriously as he continued to look ahead of him, "just know that you can count on me, alright?" Akina glanced at the blonde and didn't hide her grateful smile this time, giving Jaden's heart a jolt of warmth during that cold April afternoon.

"I appreciate it."

**Present Day**

_Place the item on the table in front of you._

Back in the dormitory, Kota followed the directions of the voice sounding through the old radio, gently placing the rabbit in a sitting position in the centre of the small table.

_Now, point the Transferral at the object and hold down the button. It should recognise the item and send a copy over here._

With the watch attached to his wrist, Kota did as he was told. A pulse emitted from the watch and hit the rabbit, bending around the toy's form and ignoring the table it was placed on. Seconds later, the device sent two flashes of white light and returned to its usual state.

_I have the stuffed rabbit. Meet me over at the gateway when you're ready._

The white noise grew after Glitch made her final statement before fading to silence, signalling that she had lifted her influence over the old speakers.

"Thanks for your help, Jaden," Kota spoke as he lowered his arm, the Transferral now contained within the sleeve of his blazer. "I'll be sure to bring Akina back, safe and sound."

"I?" Jaden frowned at Kota. "You're not telling me you plan on going there by yourself, are you?"

"Of course." Jaden's firm gaze didn't waver. "I'll be fine. You also don't have a way to defend yourself."

"Yeah, I do." Jaden pulled up his own sleeve to show that his own Transferral replaced the designer watch he usually wore. "I have the same power as you, remember?" Kota shook his head.

"It's too dangerous over there. You could get killed. I'm sorry, but I can't have you put your life at risk again."

"She's my friend too you know!" Jaden's sudden spike in the volume of his voice caused Kota to jump. The cyan-haired boy could see Jaden's eyes turn from frustration to sadness as the pair held their tongues. "And I'm worried about you too, so at least let be there if you need an extra hand."

From hearing those words, Kota felt a sense of strength rising from within him. Up until he heard that, Kota felt that he was expendable due to the lack of friends and family ties he had. His wellbeing mattered to someone, and Kota couldn't help but let out a small smile.

"If you allow me to support you too, then I won't have a problem taking you with me."

"You've got it." Jaden held his hand out and Kota firmly shook it. Even if the bond the two held was recently formed, he could feel a strong amount of trust start to flow through it.


End file.
